


Affinity for Infernos

by Z0mb3h



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alcohol, Angst, Anxiety Attacks, Eventual Smut, F/F, F/M, Female Reader, First Fanfiction, Fluff, Gaming, Minor Original Character(s), Post Pacifist Route, Reader Is Not Frisk, Reader-Insert, Romance, Slow Burn, Souls, Swearing, tags will update
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-20
Updated: 2018-08-04
Packaged: 2018-08-09 23:59:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 34,421
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7822330
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Z0mb3h/pseuds/Z0mb3h
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Finally deciding to meet up with your gaming buddies in person happens to be a really good decision. You become close friends and find your social circle becoming quite large. An altercation with your neighbors leads to a chance encounter. As things escalate, bonds are formed and tested. Monster and human relationships are strained as usual, but something new adds more discord into the concoction. Despite trying to avoid the mess, you still find yourself affected by the gravity of it all. How will you and your friends handle it? Maybe you just need something to help light your path during this chaos?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Time to Waste

The building was utterly still in the early morning. Normally people would be starting their busy day as you left for work. This morning was different and outside of your normal routine. It offered a odd sense of emptiness and you couldn't help feeling disquieted by the lack of life. Despite this it was a welcome change. The quiet, if not eerie atmosphere is favorable compared to trouble from your neighbors.

You stepped out of the building, the parking lot across the street coming into view. The winter air was crisp and brought a uncomfortable sting. There was no transition from the prior warmth. It was just a sudden submersion into the frigid world outside. Pausing at the road to look both ways you scurried across to the other side. Snow crunched under foot, breaking the abnormal silence. No new snow had fallen and this was pleasing. The idea of wasting time to clean off the car was irksome. Approaching the car you nosily dug in your purse for keys. Fishing them up finally you triumphantly unlocked the door and slid in.

The silver car was nothing special; a Pontiac Grand Am. It looked decent with the proper upkeep and did the jobs it was needed for. It was a rather common model, but it had been the first car you'd bought with your own money. It was special in it's own right. You started it up with a familiar music station blaring on. Glancing at the digital clock reminded you it was far too early for work, leaving a bitterness in your stomach.

If people hadn't been so close-minded you wouldn't be in this situation. Why had you bothered anyway? It was a simple comment, from a conversation you had over heard about monsters. Monsters had come into the picture a few years ago, rising to the surface from behind a barrier that had been broken after thousands of years. The tale of monsters was long forgotten in history, aside from the stories everyone came to embrace over the years. 

Monsters had been peaceful since they arrived, only seeking acceptance and a life in this world. Humans, however were closed off in their thoughts; always afraid of the unknown. It was their nature after all, something ingrained into them. Anything that was different could be and was frowned upon. There were still human rights being fought for over. The world was full of narrow minds and people to set in old values. 

Your neighbors weren't very nice individuals, often shouting bigoted things towards monsters. You had defended a monster and found yourself shunned for it. It escalated from there and left you in the current predicament. Actively engaging your neighbors would only make things worse and idea of getting into a larger mess wasn't something in your interest. Instead you had just decided to leave earlier and avoid them.

Work was only a block away as you pulled along the side of a road. Putting the car into park, you reached over for your laptop and turned it on. The familiar start up image was welcomed and no time was wasted on booting up your favorite game. The launch sequence wouldn't load past the patcher, likely because of the no internet symbol in the bottom corner that had caught your attention. Your portable internet service must've run out, how lovely.

Grunting with a stretch, the laptop found it's usual home within your purse. The car was shut off and you got out, locking it behind you. The street was lined with shops and you found yourself hopeful a few of them might have WiFi. A building across the street caught your attention. It was brick, with a bay window in the front illuminated with a soft glow. The glimpse of the interior from the large window had a very obvious bar vibe. You enjoyed drinking once in awhile, though doing it so early was unusual. It was odd in general that it was open at this time of morning honestly. 

Fingers lingered on the bar's double doors for a moment. A steady warmth curiously radiated from the wood. Upon entering, the comfort of the joint quickly eased away the chills outside. Heat wrapped around your limbs, seeping into your very being. That alone was enough to make you want to stay. The atmosphere was pleasant, even if the establishment was empty of other patrons. You noticed few pictures hung along the wall as you hopped up on a bar stool. The neighboring stool was occupied by your purse as you waited to be waited on. Movement of the door caught your attention, as did the monster that had stepped through it. He was on fire, literally.

Oranges and yellows swirled together in harmony as flames flickered on top his head. The bartender was dressed in typical attire, a tidy shirt and vest combo with black slacks. Glasses rested upon his face, his soft glow casting a reflection and hiding any eyes behind them. How were the glasses even staying in place? He had no distinguishable facial features. The bartender looked just as surprised to see you as you were him, caught off guard by a patron he wasn't expecting. Maybe he wasn't actually open so early? Your mouth opened to apologize if he wasn't in operating hours, but he quickly beat you.

"Welcome, what can I get for you?" His vocals were polite, laced with a crackling undertone. Gaze shifted for some sort of menu but you found none. He must've picked up on your uncertainty and a simple laminated menu was slid in your direction across the mahogany counter.

"Thank you." You looked over the menu, not too sure if you were honestly that hungry. It would be rude not to order anything right? Loitering for WiFi wasn't exactly on the top of your priorities. "Could I just get a Fuzzy Navel please?" 

Getting a menu seemed a little pointless now, self consciousness bubbled forth. A simple nod of his head and he went about pulling down a glass and getting ice. After watching him briefly your attention shifted to the menu. In the bottom corner was information for free WiFI and the password. You eagerly opened and started up your laptop. The flaming monster didn't seem bothered by this development, setting the orange drink next to the machine gently.

Handing him your card with a smile you piped up, "Thanks, I super appreciate it." 

As he went to ring up your drink you took a sip, humming in approval. You appreciated the nice balance between the orange juice and Peach Schnapps. Drinking wasn't uncommon for you, but doing it so early was; especially before work. A Fuzzy Navel wasn't a strong drink however, something you could handle easily. Your card was returned with a dip of his head and the monster went back to doing his previous task of cleaning.  
Your eyes were focused on the computer screen as you copied in the WiFi information. The gaming patcher loaded with ease. 'Fast internet, nice,' you mused inwardly, as you loaded the character screen and logged in. The games music was muted to avoid any attention. It was a little repetitive after awhile anyways. Attention was so wrapped up within the current quest, the presence of the bartender peering at you hadn't earned your attention. When he spoke in a smooth voice, you startled.

"Working on a project?"

Oh if only the answer was that simple. It would have been easier to explain and you'd feel substantially less nerdy. "Not exactly, just playing a game."

The elemental monster watched you, head tilting to the side in his slight interest. Whether it was feigned or not you couldn't tell. "Oh?"

"Yeah, I have a bit of time to waste before work." You admitted with a chuckle. "So figured I'd get ahead on some of the quests I need to do." With that you went about sorting through your inventory within the game. 

He seemed confused, though satisfied by your answer. Or was it just politeness to avoid prying? You weren't sure, but were relieved. People that were unfamiliar with gaming just wouldn't understand. If you were pushed to elaborate, most looked at you in confusion by the end of the explanation. It wasn't something you were fond of.

Your digits tapped at the keys in familiar patterns, enemies falling around your character as they released deadly spells. Subtle glances were thrown at the monster occasionally as he worked. He was polishing glasses now. Most information you knew about monsters was your own research and even then was not lot that had been recorded yet. You didn't personally know any on a level above acquaintances, you had few of those to start with. You had online friends though, a couple of those being monsters. 

Out of all the monster types you'd seen, elementals were the most fascinating. The way basic elements tuned in with magic to form beings of all sorts, each having their own cultures and forms. The fire elemental was gave off a gentle glow, illuminating the surrounding glasses slightly. It was rather enchanting, the gentle light and the way the flames danced along his frame. Despite being made of fire his form looked solid and you absently wondered how his clothes didn't catch alight.

Before you knew it your drink was gone and it was nearly time to leave. It was nice here and for once someone hadn't teased you about your gaming habits. That was more than what you could say for your family and co-workers. The bar was charming and you found yourself wondering what it was like when it was more crowded. Hopefully the charm wasn't lost and it remained just as.

Slipping back into your jacket, though you didn't recall taking it off, you put your laptop away. You flashed the bartender a smile and slid off the stool. "Thanks for letting a nerd occupy your time for a little bit." 

The bartender seemed to crackle at this in amusement. Or at least you hoped it was amusement. "Any time."

With an amiable wave you exited the bar. The chill was almost an unbearable shift compared to the cozy building, and now you found yourself drawing your arms close for warmth. The car's interior was equally as cold and you turned it on. The heat that began to blow out was nice, but you found it difficult to relax or get comfortable. The Pontiac's' heat wasn't nearly as welcoming as the atmosphere of the bar had. 

You looked back over at the building, reading the sign aloud. "Grillbys'" It had a nice ring to it. Next stop was work and you weren't looking forward to it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my first Undertale fan fiction and first work I'm publishing publicly. I've been wanting to write some fics honestly for awhile and have had a bunch of ideas. This is also my first time doing a Reader insert and 2nd POV. So here we are. Sit down, get comfortable and prepare for a hopefully enjoyable story. Any sort of feed back is greatly appreciated. 
> 
> Updates will be decently frequent, I'm aiming for at least one a week minimum.
> 
> Beta'd by my friend Myskie and reviewed by [Lu](http://www.furvilla.com/profile/3828).


	2. Plenty of Plans

"Eager to go home?"

Familiar words from one of your co-workers drew you from your daze. Absently the single ear piece was tugged from your ear as you responded. "Of course, wouldn't want you getting tired of me."

The joke earned a snort. "Already too late for that."

Mint and orange assaulted your nose from the floor cleaner. It was a odd combination that didn't sit quite well on your senses. It was too powerful. Dipping the mop into the bucket, you rung it out a few times before continuing your task. 

"No one's making you stay near me you know." Retorting back lightly with a grin, you added. "I'm sure the shelves still need stocked."

"Already taken care of." A hand found its way onto his hip. "You're holding me up, work a little faster will you."

Lincoln was one of the few people at work who was tolerable. He was young, not even hitting his twenties yet. The young adult was knowledgeable in recent trends and gaming. It wasn't as if you disliked your other colleagues. Most of them were older and had families. You just had very little in common and had trouble talking with them.

"Oh, have plans?"

He walked over one of the recently mopped areas. You grimaced and made sure there weren't any noticeable tracks. Finishing up the remainder of the isle, the next one over gained your attention.

"Obviously, unlike you."

"I have plenty of plans." The floor was left in a neat wet shine behind you as you finished up. 

Lincoln chuckled and waved at you. "Lock up, I'm heading out. Don't pull a gaming binge tonight."

The sound of the front door closing echoed off the stores' walls. A silence hung heavy in the air. Replacing your ear piece to its rightful place, you rejoiced in the familiar beat of the music. There was a feeling of relief as the last area was finished. After emptying the dirty water from the bucket, the mop was returned to its home in the storage closet. A final glance was spared at the convenience store, before you turned off the lights and locked up.

Work wasn't the most ideal place, but wasn't far from what you came to expect. You hadn't really aimed far upon graduating high school. It was a average pay that helped you with essentials and your hobbies. That was good enough.

The ride home was uneventful aside from the quick stop at a gas station to pick up some energy drinks. The apartment complex was a welcomed sight, illuminated just enough by the lights. Locking up the Pontiac, you made your way to the looming building. One of the lamps lining the path flickered and you made sure not to linger long. Hopefully it'd get fixed soon.

With bags tucked in the crook of your arms, you opened up the front doors. Only one of the other tenants lingered in the lobby. They glanced at you briefly, disinterested, before returning to checking through their mail. No time was spent waiting, you immediately shuffled up the stairs. The light slap of your boots hitting the wooden steps bounced faintly off the walls. 

Noises of neighbors were muffled, seeping under the doors as you passed. Your own key chain was out and ready by the time you reached your door. Shuddering as you glanced at a woman watching you down the hall way, you stepped inside. Her words went ignored as the door was swiftly shut and locked. This was starting to get irksome, though none of your neighbors had done anything to you yet. 

Worry was pushed aside, bags discarded on the couch and boots abandoned by the door. Practically sprawling out on the couch you reached for the headset on your coffee table. The laptop was pulled out and turned on. Out of habit a popular instant messenger was opened right away. Skimming through your contacts and group conversations, it seemed your buddies were at it per usual.

When you joined the ongoing call, a few different voices assaulted you through the wireless headset. A conversation going on between two of the more vocal members of your group was interrupted once attention was drawn to you.

"H-hi ____. Just get home?"

Chuckling you pipped up. "Aha yeah, what's up?"

"BP was trying to get us into a dungeon."

"Oh? Which one?"

"An awesome one!" Undyne boomed through your headset causing you to flinch. "We could've totally taken it."

Leave it to Undyne to be pumped over a dungeon. She was one of the more reckless members in your guild, always overestimating her class and skills. The laptop was left on the coffee table as you rose with a stretch. Tired legs led you to the kitchen as you listened to the two of them go back and forth.

"Well dear it was probably b-best we waited." Alphys responded smoothly. The sound of nails on a keyboard was slightly distracting in the background. Grabbing a frozen dinner from the microwave, you opened it.

"I could've tanked them. Remember when we did that dungeon in Casualty Cavern?"

"Yes, but you had ____ to keep up buffs."

"I guess so... Totally could have pulled it off."

"You really did well in that dungeon though." Alphys' praised, the smile evident in her voice. "Wouldn't ask for a better tank to keep me safe."

You were unable to suppress a giggle at the couple. Initially Alphys had been the first one you met when she joined the guild. Later on you'd met her girlfriend when she decided to get into the game. You couldn't deny how cute the two of them were sometimes. The monster pair had even had a wedding in game and everything.

The brown couch cushions were plush, sinking with your weight comfortably. Snuggling back with the tray of dinner balanced on your lap, you grabbed the laptop. "Where's BP at anyways?" At this point the few people that were lingering in the call had left.

"Afk, smoke break I think."

"Ah." Taking a spoonful of the macaroni and cheese, you added. "So what channel you on?"

By the time the patcher was loaded and the character menu brought up, your frozen dinner was practically gone. When you got home from work every day your stomach was groaning at you in protest. It was so much work to cook though and you avoided anything that took too much effort. Cooking had never really been your strongest point anyways.

As the loading screen faded, the game world came into view. The sound of the forest was quiet ambience of chirping birds and insects. Trees loomed far above, casting a green canopy that covered the sky. Shadows blanketed the ground and the plant life had a faint glow. 

"We'll have to invite Lance to DPS for us I think." You mused

"Why? Alph can handle it fine."

"W-well it's ok. The mana and damage output wouldn't work out." Shuffling from Alphys' end could be heard as she spoke.

"And it doesn't look like BP is coming back for a while." Thankfully the guild you were all in had no problem with damage dealers. It was mostly tanks and proper healers you lacked.

"So where you at nerd?" Undyne inquired.

"Whist Woods, not for long though." Fingers fell into the habitual positions as you went to meet the rest of the group after a party was formed.

"What? I thought you hated that map." Undyne sounded shocked.

"Was working on that one orc quest earlier."

An invite was sent to Lance and the party evolved into four members. He was a acquaintance through the guild that you didn't know very well. The guy never joined calls with the group and that was totally fine. You just needed a little extra damage output. Alphys was a great sorcerer, but it'd take quite a while to take down the boss with only one dps. Between keeping up heals and buffs for that duration would completely drain your mana points. A healer without the means to do your job was practically useless. The entire team would crumble.

"Whoa, without us, what gives?" Undyne spoke up with a huff. "How'd you manage that?"

Recalling the morning events, you answered honestly. "Had some time before work, found a place with free WiFi."

The dungeon took a bit longer than initially expected even with two damage dealers. You lacked a proper bard or secondary healer to pick up the slack when your mana points depleted. Everyone had to work harder than usual, but the loot rewarded wasn't too bad. Each party member got something they liked. Undyne couldn't keep from flaunting off her new shield equipment.

Your eyes felt heavy as the night dragged on. BP hadn't returned, which was uncommon. He was always hyped up when it came to dungeons. This left you and the monster couple to talk freely as the three of you did quests. Alphys and Undyne were some of your closest online friends so conversation flowed freely. 

"There was another monster related incident the other night."

"I heard about that, the one with the rabbit right? Sounds awful." Replying softly, you took down a few nearby enemies.

"If I ever see those punks I'd give them a beating!" 

"Y-yeah..." Alphy's vocals cracked and the topic was quickly shifted elsewhere. "I forgot you s-said you lived nearby."

"Oh, that's right huh?"

"Mhm, Echodale." Came your simple reply.

Undyne replied with a chuckle. "Damn that's only a few minutes of a drive away."

Shifting on the couch, you drew your knees closer. The quest was finished; it was one of those item gathering ones. Certain mobs in the game dropped various items and the quest called for a specific amount. These kinds of quests were tiresome, if you hadn't been in a call you were sure you would've dozed off from the dullness. It wouldn't have been the first time.

"We should hang out some time." You offered; turning the quest in absently.

"Man that'd be so sick. We totally should!"

"It'd be f-fun I think. W-what days do you have off?" Alphys inquired.

Feeling less drowsy as the conversation progressed, you sat more upright. Attention wasn't fully focused on the laptop's screen, but Undyne's avatar was doing some sort of weird dance action. Snorting rather undignified, you sat your character near hers.

"Sunday." You paused, combing your brain for your weekly schedule. "Yeah I know I have Sunday off for sure."

"Let's do it then, after I finish up with training in the afternoon."

Undyne had mentioned she was a trainer of some kind. Maybe a personal one? You weren't too certain and hadn't really pried. It was sort of comical to imagine her as a martial artist or something though, teaching a bunch of kids enthusiastically. 

"Sounds good to me, maybe at the mall?" Alphys added.

"Sure, should be fun." A glance at the clock in the corner of the screen caused a huff to escape your lips. Another night was consumed by gaming. If you went to bed now you'd get six hours at least, not too bad. "I should head to bed."

"Lame. Well, talk to ya later."

"Sleep well."

With a smile you exited the call, closing down the game and shutting off the computer. Leaving the laptop to charge on your kitchen counter, you went about cleaning up your mess from dinner. There was a slight ache from wearing the headset for a handful of hours. Doing your best to ignore it you flung the empty dinner tray into the trash. 

You slipped into your bedroom, turning out lights as you went. Work clothes were left in a heap on the floor to clean up later. The bed creaked as you flopped into it happily, getting engulfed in a sea of blankets and pillows. Reaching to turn off the light on your nightstand, you curled up beneath one of your favorite blankets. Sleep didn't come swiftly, even after a few position shifts. 

This was really happening. You'd be meeting two of your buddies in person in a day. Hopefully the three of you got along as well as you did online. A nervousness bubbled forth and you pressed your cheek against the fluffy pillow. With the uncertainty however came excitement. They wouldn't be the first individuals you met from your online games. Alphys and Undyne however were some of the closest friends you had. Some people found that silly, but you didn't care. You were going to meet two of your best online buddies and have a blast.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Going to keep that dreaded name insert out of the story as much as possible. I know how distracting it can be. Thank you to everyone that's read, commented, left kudos or in general showed interest in my story. I wasn't expecting so many people to show interest, it makes me super happy and I really appreciate it.
> 
> Few gaming terms are used, if anything gets confusing or needs clarification please let me know. I'll add explanations in the notes. c:
> 
> Shout to my buds [Myskie](http://pastel-posies.tumblr.com/), [Star](http://starsmahogany.tumblr.com/), [Egbert](http://www.furvilla.com/profile/7311) and [s3nnr3nn](http://www.furvilla.com/profile/52275) for Beta'ing for me. You guys are amazing.


	3. An Innocent Newb

The scent of melon laced with the subtle hint of cucumber lingered mildly in the air. Popping the third wax cube from the container, you sat it down in your recently emptied tart burner. There were enough burners in the apartment to cover each of the three rooms. Watching the scented wax melt let a wave of calm wash over you. A alcoholic drink sounded lovely right now to help ease your nerves. Work had been a particularly long shift and the day seemed to drag on endlessly. You passed Grillby's on the way home, but had been too tired and brushed the idea away. 

The arches of your feet throbbed. A sigh passed over your lips as you flopped ungracefully onto your couch. The faint hum of the television was the only sound; whatever was playing on it had long been ignored. You had an evening to enjoy, were already in your comfortable pajamas and took the moment to relax. Noise beyond your walls caused the tranquility to fissure. Your neighbor to the right was causing all sorts of ruckus and no sooner did music start blaring afterwards. Eventually you relented and sat up, back arching with a slight pop.

Your laptop was jolted from sleep mode as you fiddled with the wireless mouse. A plate of unfinished food was almost knocked over in the process. Thankfully quick movements saved you the hassle of having to clean up any messes. You already had a few messes to sort, like the clothes from the previous few days on your floor.

The familiar ding of a notification promoted your attention. Seemed as if the group already had a Skype call going on. 

"Like I was saying you need to check your email for--" Alphys spoke patiently.

"WHERE DO I FIND THIS MAIL LABELED 'E'?" That was a new voice you didn't recognize. Whoever it was sounded male. His voice was nasally and loud. You inadvertently found yourself flinching as they continued.

"Uhm, well what email did you sign up for?"

"ONLY THE HOTTEST ONE TO MATCH MY DEVILISH CHARMS. IT HAD HOT IN ITS NAME SO I CAN ASSUME IT IS INDEED THE HOTTEST."

Questions overflowed and you instantly found yourself laughing boisterously. You snorted and tried to stifle your giggles. Who was this new stranger? Normally new introductions brought anxiety, but it was hard to be nervous when slapped with an introduction like this. They couldn't be serious right? This had to be a troll.

"Oh! Didn't even see you enter the call. H-hey there." Alphys greeted.

"IS THAT THE HUMAN YOU MENTIONED?"

You replied jokingly, "Hope you've said good things about me Alph."

"Of course, only good things. But, uh, yeah this is her."

"WOWIE! I'VE NEVER TALKED TO A HUMAN THROUGH THE COMPUTER BEFORE. I AM THE GREAT PAPYRUS, IT'S A PLEASURE TO MEET YOU."

"Nice to meet you." Absently you began to check through various bookmarked sites with a chuckle.

Alphys continued with the task of getting Papyrus set up to check his email for an activation key for the game, Clash of Specters. This proved to be quite the mission and required step by step instructions. He had grown curious about the game and wanted to try. Thankfully he'd already managed to download the game earlier in the day, so no further explanation was needed on that.

Settling into the familiar rhythm of killing a few mobs, you found yourself snuggling into a nearby blanket. The conversation between Alphys and your new acquaintance became lost in the mundane actions of spells and mob slaying. Everything began to blur together as you started to doze, but familiar vocals boomed and jolted you back to awareness.

"Hey, punk, what time did you want to hang out tomorrow?" Undyne was loud, though her sound quality sounded different; almost muffled.

Taking note of the ongoing call in the background, you noticed it was coming from Alphy's mic. "Hanging out with Alphys tonight?" With a giggle, you added, "Dunno, maybe around noon?"

"N-noon sounds f-fine." Alphys' words faltered slightly and shuffling could be heard in the background. "Um... h-here let me put you on speaker."

Poor Alphys; she was actually getting bashful after the question. It wasn't the first time the two of them had been at each other's houses while in a call. If you were honest you envied them a little bit. The pair had such a lovely relationship; it was clear they were a sound match. You'd never admit to being a little jealous though. There was a distinct lack of stable partners in your life up to this point. You hadn't really put much effort into looking though. Why force something that'd come natural eventually? Right?

"What gives? Only I can make my girlfriend all flustered!"

Laughing openly at the joke, you listened as Alphys stuttered. "U-undyne, please, t-there's no need-"

"But yeah noon works for us."

"EXCUSE ME, BUT HOW DO I MANEUVER MY CHARACTER TO TAKE DOWN THE TERRIBLE SPORE PUFFLES? APPARENTLY THEY TOOK A FARMER'S CART OF GOODS." 

There he was; you'd been curious why Papyrus had been silent for quite some time.

"Here, hang on I'll come help you out." You offered; using a portal to begin your journey to the starting area. 

"THANK YOU, YOUR HELP IS GREATLY APPRECIATED, KNIGHT!"

"Actually I’m a cleric." Correcting him gently, you tapped out commands on the keyboard. It wouldn't take you too long to reach his character now.

"AH, MY APOLOGIES. A CLERIC SOUNDS EQUALLY AS COOL AS A KNIGHT."

Reaching the new player was easy. Teaching him how to play was a little tedious. Papyrus kept asking why you had glowing effects on skills and how he got them. Despite numerous explanations on class differences it only seemed to fuel his hopes further along. Despite knights not being able to cast spells, he was determined to get his character to glow in some way. In the end you decided it was easier to just let it go then continue explaining.

After you called him by his name, Papyrus demanded to go by his online alias. According to him it was very important to forming the proper friendship. He insisted on this as a fact that had been in some sort of book he had read on relationships. By the time he had logged off, you were set in your beliefs. Papyrus was an innocent newb. Your friends were grateful you decided to humor him.

Undyne and Alphys had been talkative, but were too occupied in each other to do anything major in the game. Rather than interrupt them awkwardly as a third wheel, you decided to drop the call and go to sleep. The bed was welcoming and a wave of fatigue washed over you the moment you stretched out under the covers. With a sigh of contentment you let your mind wander and sleep eagerly took you away.

 

The shrill wailing of your alarm went off and you jolted awake with a start. A quick glance at the clock revealed it was eleven in the morning. It took a moment to register why an alarm was set when you didn’t have work. Today was the day you'd meet Alphys and Undyne in person. Rolling out of the sanctuary of your bed, you stretched. A tune filled the air, the opening theme of one of the video games you played. You must've set your phone alarm too out of habit. Never could be too careful; you were a heavy sleeper.

By the time you were ready it was ten 'til twelve. A few neighbors in the apartment complex watched as you moved to your car. An uneasiness crept up and you did your best to keep your gaze elsewhere. You were positive two out of the four lived on your floor in the apartment. Each of them were sneering at you rather rudely even after slipping into the car. Driving away you tried to settle your focus on the meet up rather than your eerie neighbors. It did little good and your mind continued to settle to the subject. If you were being honest with yourself it was frightening and you lamented the fact you’d be returning home tonight by yourself. Everything was always scarier alone and you felt vulnerable. 

Shoppers lingered around the mall, though it wasn't crowded beyond normal. It was only noon; activity would pick up as the day progressed. Heading towards the food court, your anxiousness to meet your friends began to twist with uncertainty. Feeling self conscious you began to tug a little at the hem of your shirt to try and straighten it. You'd dressed casual, but tried to look at least presentable. You didn't want to come off as trying too hard, but there was also the battle of avoiding looking like a wreck.

Would they even like you? What if things were too awkward? Maybe actually hanging out in person with a human would bother them. Before more doubts began to brew, you found yourself in front of the book store. This was where the agreed meeting spot would be at. You knew from experience they had decently sized manga section, which the three of you had in common. Shifting slightly, you began to play with the strap of your purse as fingers scratched at few pins attached to it.

"Don't look so nervous, something might spook ya." You jolted into awareness and a loud laugh sounded behind you. 

Spinning around sharply you groaned, a hand finding its way over your chest. "Oh jeez, what gives, Undyne?"

"It was too hard to resist. Look how shaken you are!"

The aquatic monster before you grinned exposing sharp fangs. Vibrant red hair contrasted against her blue toned scales. The sheer size of her was rather daunting. You still weren’t familiar with monsters. Having one in front of you that was nearly a head taller was a little intimidating. With an arm clinging in the crook of her elbow was a bashful looking, yellow reptile. Behind her thick framed glasses, her gaze was averted to the ground. This had to be Alphys and she was much less threatening than her girlfriend. The couple was vastly different, but in a good way. They complimented each other.

"Like your shirt Alph." Commenting with a smile, you waved a hand gently. "Nice to officially meet you guys."

You felt a little anxious, but Undyne was having none of that. Untangling her arm from Alphys' she practically scooped you up in a hug. "Awesome to finally hang out!"

"Y-yeah. Hey, nice to meet you too." Finally the reptile spoke up in that voice you had come to know so well over the last year.

After you were free from Undyne’s grip you spoke up. "I heard Friday they got a new stock of manga in." A tilt of your head motioned to the very book store you were loitering in front of.

At this bit of information the socially anxious monster made her way into the store. "Need to make sure they don't sell Mew Mew Kissy Kissy Cutie Two."

"Huh, wasn't aware there was a manga for it." You mused trailing behind her.

"It's trash, just like the anime." Alphys responded straightforwardly.

Sure enough the aforementioned manga was there and Alphys wasn't at all pleased by this discovery. Picking out books at random, you skimmed through the pages looking for anything of interest. A few seemed interesting and it was a mental debate to figure out which new series to start. 

"Look at this guy's sword." Looking to what had caught your friends interest, she continued, "I need to get a sword like this."

Grinning, you joked, "It's so big though, could you even lift it?"

"O-oh.. I wouldn't-" Alphys began but was interrupted.

"Could I even lift it? Please!" In a show of her strength Undyne grabbed a nearby display of key chains and hoisted it off the ground with little effort. "How's this for lifting?" 

You laughed and the fish monster put the display down after a moment, flexing her arms in triumph. The show was not appreciated by the staff of the store however and after alerting a manager, you and your friends were prompted to leave. Alphys form was shaking as you were escorted out; clawed digits clinging to Undyne’s sleeve. The aquatic monster was tense and her hands were bunched into fists.

Casting a heated glare at the manager as they headed back into the store you sighed. This wasn’t exactly how things were supposed to start. The three of you were a little rowdy in the store, but it shouldn't of promoted you being kicked out so soon. They did need to protect their merchandise though, but a warning or something could've worked right? You were going to be calm and save this; your monster pals seemed rather distressed at causing a scene.

“Who needs ‘em, it’s cheaper to get manga online anyways,” you offered reassuringly as your group wandered further down the mall. “Let's go look at clothes instead.”

The yellow monster looked to you with a soft smile. “Yeah, that’ll be good.”

“Mhm, who knows maybe they’ll have some cool graphic tees.” The two monsters seemed to settle down and relief came over you. The last thing you wanted was for them to be uncomfortable.

Walking through the store earned a few looks, but you paid them no real mind. Any time one of your monster pals seemed to pay too much attention to the leers, you tried to take their mind off of it. Monsters and humans shared the same Earth. They both needed to breathe, or at least oxygen of some kind. Actually you weren’t too sound on that bit of information or monster biology. It’d be sort of weird to inquire about that sort of thing.

The point was monsters and humans weren’t different at all. There were some obvious difference, but they were sentient beings just like you and every other person and deserved respect. Who cared if they had fur, scales, four eyes or only one. They had feelings, thoughts, families and only wanted to belong. Why was that so difficult for people to accept?

Undyne peered her head out of the dressing room. “I look stupid, this is the least tough looking thing I’ve ever seen.”

“Come on, it can’t be that bad.”

Alphys was standing beside you, a few clothes draped over one of her arms. As the aquatic monster slipped from the stall and into view, you held back a giggle. Her girlfriend on the other hand was torn into a laughing fit, clutching at her stomach as she leaned over. It was so nice to see her this way and in turn you ended up laughing as well.

“Y-you look like one of those.. magical girls,” the reptile wheezed.

“Don’t worry Undyne, I’ll be your senpai.”

“No way! The only one cool enough to be a senpai here is me.”

Unable to resist, you taunted playfully. “Don’t worry, senpai won't hold it against you.”

With a growl she slammed the door to the stall and changed back. You and Alphys calmed down and the group wandered to the checkout lines. As the cashier rung up your items, she smiled pleasantly, bagging them up with no issues. When it came to your friends however, she grinned a little too cheerfully.

“How precious, aren’t you the cutest thing ever.”

Red crept onto Alphys’ features and she shrunk back. “Uh.. well-- uhm. T-thank you.”

The cashier continued, vocals sweet. She came off a little too friendly. “I don’t get why people are in such a mood about you guys. You’re all precious.” 

As Undyne paid it was then that the conversation clicked. Her words were pitched slightly, like one might talk to a child or pet. She was patronizing them and it filled you with all sorts of discomfort. You were angry for your friends and they were too flustered to say anything about it. Good thing you were perfectly capable of stepping in. The calm you were determined to keep earlier quickly vanished.

“Such good hearted souls.” The lady continued and as she went to hand the aquatic monster the bag, you quickly swiped it away. "Absolutely couldn't hurt a fly with your magic abilities and what not. Right?" Was that sarcasm?

“Yes, they are lovely aren’t they?” Gaze narrowed as you practically spat at her. “Much better than narrow minded assholes.”

The middle aged woman gaped clearly at a lack for words as you marched from the store with your friends trailing behind you. You practically power walked out of the store, something compelling you to just get out of there. It was too stuffy and you were suddenly aware how hot it was. 

“Hey, thanks.” Undyne spoke up as she placed a hand gently on your shoulder.

You calmed, pace easing into a gentle walk. “It’s not fair people can get away with acting like that.” A sigh passed over your lips and you looked between your two friends. “I’m sorry they have to be that way.”

“It’s n-nothing to a-apologize for.” It was Alphys who spoke now, looking at you gratefully.

“Why don’t we go get something to eat?” Undyne suggested with a grin. “My tank is running on empty.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm blown away by the comments, hits and kudos this had received. Woah, thank you so, so much. Decided to give our mystery game a name, totally made up by the way.. so uhm don't feel disappointed if you can't find it. ^^'
> 
> Huge shout out to [Star](http://starsmahogany.tumblr.com/) and [Zum](http://archiveofourown.org/users/zum) for Beta'ing this for me.


	4. Literally Made of Fire

From the initial glance as you pulled in, the diner looked nice. It was tidy and the front of the building was lined with shrubs. Thoughts shifted as you stepped inside and waited to be seated. There was some unseen tension in the air and you fought to ignore the gazes coming your direction. 

Undyne must've picked up on your unease, as she spoke up, "This place is supposed to have really good food."

"Yeah, it j-just opened not too long ago."

"We've been meaning to give it a shot. A few of my trainees mentioned it to me." 

You smiled with a nod trying to keep your anxieties in check. Monster and human relations were already strained; why would they welcome you in one of their businesses? Why had you figured this would be an easy experience? Your friends had even mentioned beforehand it was in the monster district of town. You hadn't expected to be the only human there however. As you looked around it became apparent only a few canine-like monsters lingered around.

A white furred dog came to the front and her eyes swept over your group. Her pleasant smile morphed into a smirk. "Well if it isn't the Captain of the Royal Guard." Sarcastic tone was paused as she continued, "Whatever do we owe the pleasure?"

Alphys’ grip on her girlfriend's hand tightened as Undyne forced a strained smile. The hostility clearly hadn't been lost on her. "Just hoping for a meal with a new friend."

"Ah." The canine's gaze moved in your direction. You suddenly felt very exposed and vulnerable as she scrutinized you. "Very well then, this way." A flick of her tail and she was leading your group to a table.

Upon sitting down at a booth and ordering your drinks, the dog had excused herself almost instantly. The few other monsters seated in the restaurant were all canine in appearance. The table diagonal from yours was occupied by a blue merle pelted dog and a lanky fox. 

"Didn't expect the Royal Guard to stoop as low as the King.” the fox spoke to his friend. His voice was loud, making sure it was clearly audible to you and your friends.

"It's bad enough he and the Queen are in love with humans." 

With a melodramatic sigh, the fox added, "Guess we can't trust the guard either. All of 'em are worthless."

During the entire conversation you'd grown tense, shrinking down in the booth. Your purse never left your lap and digits were digging into it furiously. Hanging out with your online buds had brought them trouble. It was initially your idea to hang out. If you hadn't offered, none of this would've happened. They wouldn't be getting harassed. 

Drowning in your own thoughts, you failed to notice Undyne stand up. "You have a problem with us?" she demanded.

"Wasn't that obvious? We don't want your kind here." Emphasis was put on the phrase as murmurs from other patrons began to pick up.

"My Guards are doing their best to keep you safe." Sharp fangs were exposed as Undyne practically snarled,"Who do you think you are?"

"They're doing a shitty job then!" a voice shouted from somewhere within the room.

Another soon followed. "Get out of our territory!"

"The better question is," the merle coated dog replied as he stood up. "why are you set on betraying your own kind?" 

His large form loomed over the table and your breath caught in your throat. You had to say something. Right? These were you friends for over a year that were being harassed and bullied. You should stand up for them, say something in their defense. But as the towering dog sneered at you in disgust, you felt your throat close off. Dealing with a rude cashier was different than having an intense being glare at you heatedly. There was power behind that fierceness, power you severely lacked. There wasn't any way you could equal up to a monster in terms of strength. Any bravado you had early was gone, replaced with the urge to flee.

A sudden pressure built in your chest as if something was trying to break free. The room seemed to go out of focus and only you and the monster seemed to exist. In an instant, it subsided. Undyne growled and shoved him out of the way.

You blinked in a daze as she grabbed your wrist and tugged you up. "Let’s leave, no need to grace this filth with our presence."

Alphys was already standing as you were led from the restaurant. Your mind was a wreck as it tried to piece together what had just happened. What was that odd feeling and pressure? It was entirely different than anything else you'd experienced. Asking about it would only worry your friends. Maybe it was some sort of anxiety attack? You settled on that as reasoning.

Silence hung heavy in the air as you wandered back to your cars. It was unbearable as the somber atmosphere progressed. Messing about with the strap of your purse, you let you hand rest on the side of your car. The cool metal bit against your flesh and you instinctively retreated the limb into your jacket pocket.

A sigh broke the tension as your aquatic friend spoke, "What a bunch of ungrateful mutts."

"I'm s-sorry."

Alphys looked at you curiously. "Uhm, f-for what?"

"Not stepping in?" Pausing, you shuffled your feet slightly. "I just sort of froze up? ..I don’t know."

Undyne and Alphys both shared a look and a yellow, scaled hand found its way onto your shoulder reassuringly. "It's no b-big deal."

"If anything we should be apologizing for getting you into that whole mess."

 

The silent car ride was both a blessing and a curse. It gave you time to compose yourself and ease back into a sense of normalcy. Without your friends to keep your mind elsewhere, the confrontation from earlier was at the forefront of your mind. Pieces of the incident kept clashing together with your musings, forming a ton of unanswered questions. Humans and monsters weren't fully amiable, but why would monsters get so hostile with each other?

You pinched the bridge of your nose lightly as you pulled up behind your friends' car along the side of the road. Since the three of you were still craving food, another destination came to mind. Alphys had suggested it and now you found yourself parked across the street from the quaint bar once more. It was a brisk evening, vastly different from your previous morning visit.

As you trailed behind Alphys and Undyne towards the front of the bar, you could see how different it was compared to that one morning. From the window you could make out that things were rather lively. There were multiple patrons, all of whom seemed to be having a enjoyable time. 

Warmth eased over your form as Undyne opened the door. The aquatic monster held it open for you as you stepped inside. You lingered at the door for your friends and waited on their lead to follow them into the bar. Surprisingly there were three vacant stools near the center. Getting situated on one of the cushioned stools, you took note that the chattering within the establishment had decreased. 

It felt as if everyone in the bar was casting glances at you. Uneasiness clawed at your stomach. This wouldn't turn out like earlier right? The thought of making your friends even bigger targets for harassment was horrible. You grew apprehensive, glancing at your friends. They were too involved in their conversation to notice your unrest just yet. 

Light in the corner of your vision drew your attention. You hadn't even noticed the flaming man standing in front of you. How long had he been there? There was a residual heat coming from his frame and you inwardly wondered if he had control of his temperature. His head tilted slightly to the side. You couldn't see his gaze behind the reflection of the glasses, but you somehow knew he was watching and recognition flickered over his face.

"Yo Grillbz, what's up?" Undyne pipped up and the bartender replied with popping and crackles of fire. "Sweet, anyways can we get some burgers?"

He offered a nod before turning back to you. Oh. He was waiting for your own order. There weren’t any menus around you could go off of. Could you just order what your friends had? That'd work, but you weren't really feeling up to a burger at the moment. Once more the dilemma was solved and you found one nudged in front of you across the table.

Smiling sheepishly, you skimmed the menu. "Mozzarella sticks, please?"

After sliding the menu back, he dipped into the back room. You could only assume the kitchen was back there. Conversations of the other patrons had picked up once more, but you could still sense tension in the air. They were wary of you and you didn't blame them. You wouldn't lie, it made you unsettled.

"Pretty nice place right?" Alphys smiled gently at you.

With a nod you replied, "Mhm. It seems really cozy here." 

...When monsters weren't eyeing you up anyways. The smell of food wafted to your senses and your stomach groaned in discomfort. 

Undyne cackled. "Food is great here! Seems like you’re pretty anxious to get something in your stomach."

You giggled, beginning to lighten up a bit. "Yeah, didn't realize how hungry I was."

Conversation drifted easily and your anxiety was temporarily lifted. Alphys was overly excited about an upcoming event in Clash of Specters. She was intent on getting in on it. It was only going to be there for a limited time and she was sure there'd be a ton of cool rewards. 

Your orders came in a timely manner. It took a great deal of effort not to dig in like the ravenous beast you became at home. Taking a bite of one of the mozzarella sticks you couldn't help but smile. It was seasoned nicely and the marinara sauce wasn't overpowering. 

You were enjoying your food too much to notice the grin Undyne was casting your way." Told you it was good. Right?" 

Suddenly aware you'd been smiling and making pleasant sighs, you immediately stopped. Letting out a nervous chuckle you looked to your friend. "Yeah, it's really good actually."

The nicely dressed flame crackled pleasantly. The noise was similar to that of a small campfire. Not too loud, but audible if you were paying attention to it. "Grillby makes some of the best food." 

At this comment his flames seemed to grow slightly, licking about his exposed limbs. You hadn't known his name until now and put together it was the same as the bar. He must've been the owner. You felt a little self conscious now that you'd been leeching WiFi openly in front of the owner the other day. He hadn't mentioned it, so maybe it hadn't bothered him. You hoped so.

After the food was done by all parties, you were escorted towards one of the large tables. Dogs of all shapes and sizes sat around it playing a game of cards that you didn't quite recognize. You never had been into card games, aside from the occasional drinking ones. There was a dog couple in robes that were too occupied with each other to focus properly on the game. One of the dogs was tall with a hulking set of armor. The fourth had a dog treat smoking as it hung from his jaws. He was rather intimidating, even sitting next to the one with the large suit of armor.

"Who's the human?" The female of the dog couple spoke up.

The male sniffed in your direction, paw never once leaving that of his spouses'. "She smells weird."

A chair had been drug over for you and you shifted it closer to Alphys as you sat down. Surely you didn't smell sour? You'd showered this morning and even used some of your favorite perfume spray.

The dog treat left the one canines mouth that had been silent up until now. He squinted as if having trouble seeing. "All three of you do." He paused before adding, "Where were you guys at today?"

You and your friends shared a glance before the story unfolded. Undyne had recounted most of the encounter. You were keen on keeping silent, only adding details when asked. The light Grillby gave off seemed to cast a warm glow over the room. Flickering flames stole your attention more than once as he tended to other customers. 

Eventually introductions were given and you knew the dogs by name. There was Dogamy and Dogaressa, the endearing couple. Greater Dog was the one with the suit of armor. He was much smaller however, closer to that of an average dog. You'd found this out upon him jumping out of the armor and affectionately begging for pets. You happily supplied the pets and earned a friend on your lap for the time being. Doggo was the final canine at the table, though he didn't talk too often. The conversation was polite, but it was impossible to miss the bit of tenseness each of the dogs shared after the story. 

Eventually the dogs left as darkness descended upon the world outside. You found yourself back at the bar, making plans with your buddies to hang out again some time. Numbers were exchanged and Undyne and Alphys left as well after a little while. There was work tomorrow so you couldn't stay much longer yourself. Not that there was a real need to stay later. Your friends had left and the bar was growing quiet with only a few patrons left. 

"Can I get a gin martini?" you inquired. A small drink would be enjoyable before you left. The flaming man nodded and seemed ready to ask your preferences, but you gently added, "Extra wet please and stirred?"

Grillby was still a moment as if surprised. Maybe he hadn't expected you to be so specific? You knew how you liked your martinis. You had to when you made your own from time to time. He got to work though, pouring in the proper amounts with practiced ease. Propping your head up gently with your hand, you watched him. How didn't he catch alcohol on fire as he mixed though? The monster was literally made of fire; how did that even work? 

The perfectly chilled martini was set down on the counter and you realized you'd been staring a little too long. With a nervous smile you said your thanks. Gaze was pointedly averted elsewhere as you sipped your drink, letting the time ease by until you had to leave.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Getting a glimpse into some of the world issues and such now. Things start escalating from here as the story progresses. All the interest you guys are showing is really amazing and I can't thank you enough; everyone one of you. For every comment, hit or kudo. Thank you. Also I'm very bad at naming chapters, I apologize. 
> 
> Thank you [Star](http://starsmahogany.tumblr.com/) and [Sans](http://www.furvilla.com/profile/263) for Beta'ing for me! c: You're amazing.


	5. Learn a Thing or Two

Gaming binges and your online friends had become part of your normal routine. When work wasn't occupying your attention you were hanging out. It was a welcomed development you were happy to keep. They helped fill in the empty cracks of your mind with something else other than your situation.

Neighbors in the apartment were beginning to seriously chip away at your nerves. The ones sharing your floor were getting bold with their disdain. Slurs and slander had to be cleaned from your door multiple times already. You didn't fail to notice the note slipped in with your mail either, though you desperately pretended to throw it away as junk mail. How much further would things escalate?

Moving somewhere else wasn't an option. Your occupation didn't pay enough to afford many other places and the ones available were in worse shape than your current residence. There was nowhere else to run off to. A part of you wanted to be defiant and brave, let them see you weren't perturbed. It'd be a lie though and inwardly you knew that. You were nervous and it only increased with each passing day.

This was why you found yourself at Grillby's, to continue avoiding your problems. The bar had become a piece of normalcy. You didn't have to worry about your neighbors or housing situation when you were there. A few times you'd find yourself there after work as well and the regulars had become familiar with your presence. 

"What's the purpose of fighting these creatures?" His voice was low, yet audible enough. If anyone else had been in the bar you probably wouldn't have heard him.

After taking down the mob you were engaged with, you looked at the bartender. "It's for a quest." Pausing you tried to turn the laptop slightly to show him. "These mushrooms took something from someone."

Grillby paused wiping out the glass he had been cleaning. He studied the screen of your laptop before questioning, "How do mushrooms steal anything though?"

That was a plausible inquiry and you were stumped. Clash of Specters did have some questionable mob designs and choices. 

"I'm not sure," you admitted with a chuckle. "They're evil mushrooms I guess?"

The flaming monster grew silent, only giving off faint crackles and popping noises. He seemed accepting of the response and went back to his previous forgotten task. A moment passed and you turned your laptop back around. Gaze was fixated onto the screen and you went over the quest requirements once more. Your mana had refilled and you were back to taking down mushroom mobs. You couldn't look at them the same however without questioning their existence.

You were getting too engrossed in the game, watching pixels move over the screen. Mobs flew from your spells and gave you time to buff yourself properly. You were essentially in the gaming zone, too absorbed to notice the presence that had shifted up behind you.

It was only when he spoke did you snap from your concentration with a jump. "It must require a lot of focus."

"Ah, yeah I suppose so," you replied with a nervous giggle. As you glanced over your shoulder he ducked his head apologetically. He must've felt bad for startling you.

Grillby hadn't said anything else, but the radiating warmth was assurance he was very much still there after you went back to gaming. It wasn't the first time someone had watched you play, but you were suddenly very self conscious. Finger movements became more precise and you tried to be less sloppy with your attacks. You became very aware of little things you hadn't noticed before such as the way you slouched or bit at your lip. The sudden thought to fix these habits came to mind and you were puzzled exactly what had brought out that thought process.

Was it rude to just continue focusing on the game? It was his internet you were leeching from after all and he hadn't complained once. Finishing off a mob you shifted, motioning to the stool next to yours with a tilt of your head. His posture straightened ever so slightly and you found the neighboring seat occupied by a very warm monster. Offering a smile you turned the laptop once more to give him better viewing access. Grillby's gaze was questioning and curious as he took in the scene unfolding on the screen.

"You essentially play as a character.” Doing your best to explain, you continued, "You do quests and fight creatures to get stronger."

The response was silence, but you were rewarded with a gentle nod of understanding from him. Fingers tapped at various keys and your free hand was occupied by the wireless mouse once in awhile. The warmth seemed to intensify, light hitting your screen slightly as Grillby leaned to get a better look at things. 

Tilting your head to look at him, you pipped up, "Want to try yourself?"

As if realizing he had been leaning a little too close he straightened up swiftly. "Thank you, but I'll pass for now." The quiet response was polite. After a little more spectating and listening to your explanations, he went to get the bar ready for the day. It wouldn't be long now until you had to head to work yourself.

 

Work had came and gone uneventfully. It was only around early evening; your shift hadn't been too drawn out today. Upon stepping into the mall with a purse full of quarters, you only had one destination at the forefront of your mind. The arcade had become a group hang out spot recently after your friends had learned about it. Classic styled games were the best, especially platformers and fighting ones. Alphys and Undyne were already inside once you got there, engrossed in one of the gaming machines.

"Why'd you start without me? Rude," you joked

Your reptile friend giggled, "The pull of the games was too much to handle."

Peering over Undyne's shoulder you watched her play one of the combat games. "Oh man, is that a high score?"

"Of course, I'm the best at fighting after all."

The three of you made your way around the entire room, spending a little more attention on some of your favorites. Your hoard of quarters was starting to shrink after a little while, but you didn't really care. There'd still be plenty to play more games now or at a later date anyways. After your turn ended on the current game, you stepped aside to let Alphys have a try at it. Leaning against the side of the machine slightly, you watched her play.

"So, how are things with your neighbors?" The tone in those words was curious yet laced with worry.

"It's not going any better for me honestly," you admitted with a drawn out sigh.

Undyne met your gaze and frowned. "I could scare them really good for you; maybe rough them up?"

"T-that probably wouldn't.. help the situation at all," Alphys added softly.

"It's ok. Honest," you tried to reassure them and inwardly yourself as well. "I've been leaving home early to avoid seeing them before work."

"That's good. You shouldn't have to hide from them though, bud."

Shrugging you headed for the next game over as Alphys finished up. "I guess, but I've been killing the time at Grillby's. He's got some pretty nice internet. You know I can even load up Clash of-"

Your words were hastily interrupted. "Dude! Is that how you've been getting the upper hand on levels?"

A grin was your initial response and you added a quarter into the machine to start up your gaming round. "Maybe.'

"I didn't think Grillby opened up so early," Alphys commented absently. 

The aquatic monster added, "Yeah he never did before. There'd always be a closed sign in the window."

That piece of information lingered the entire time you played and persisted even as Undyne took her own turn. It made sense for a bar not to be open in the morning. Usually no one drank that early. It'd be a waste of time and resources to have operating hours, especially as early as you lingered around there. Six o'clock in the morning was early by most individual's standards. 

If he wasn't open, why had he let you stay? Grillby had never seemed displeased with you being there. On the contrary it seemed he grew accustomed to your morning visits. He was always so polite; if you were a bother he probably wouldn't say anything to you. 

Guilt began to twist in your stomach. What if you were giving him more work to do? If you were an exception weren't you wasting his time? The last thing you wanted to do was become a burden on anyone.

The storm of turmoil that had become your thoughts was interrupted by loud vocals. "I WASN'T EXPECTING TO SEE YOU HERE; WHAT A PLEASANT SURPRISE!"

You weren't quite expecting the sight that greeted you. A lanky skeleton that rivaled Undyne's height was enthusiastically greeting your friends. Were skeleton monsters a thing? They had to be; you had an animated one directly in front of you, offering out his hand in greeting.

The boisterous tone clicked together properly in your mind. "Coolskeleton95..?"

"NYEH HEH HEH. YOU ARE CORRECT. I THINK MEETING IN PERSON COUNTS AS AN UPGRADE ON THE FRIENDSHIP METER HOWEVER. SO YOU CAN REFER TO ME BY NAME."

"Good to know then," you replied jokingly with a laugh. "So does Papyrus work or should I include your title?"

It never occurred to you that your newest online friend was a monster. No one had mentioned it at all and you never assumed. Looking back on things and conversations however there were plenty of hints that gave it away. He always referred to you as 'human', until you'd insisted on him using your actual name. 

"Don't stroke his ego; we won't hear the end of it."

"Would Papyrus the Great like to play some games?" Undyne casted a glare your way and you simply grinned in response.

 

A tournament of sorts had been conjured up involving one of the two player dancing games. Everyone would face off on three songs and the winner advanced to the next round. You'd personally went against Undyne and had barely managed to come out on top. Alphys had beaten Papyrus and you were initially concerned about the game. The skeleton had stomped on the buttons with so much force you were certain it'd break. 

The song choices were all from anime and you expected no less from your reptile friend. Hands were gripped onto the bars as you tried to keep up with the pace of the fast tracks. By the time it was all over you were trying to catch your breath. Alphys was giddy at the prospect of getting new equipment in Clash of Specters that had been offered as a reward.

A few hours had been wasted in the arcade and you all decided that was enough to sate your nerding out needs. Your group relocated to the food court and settled down at one of the tables.

"I ACHIEVED LEVEL TEN LIKE THE TRUE WARRIOR MASTER I AM."

"That's good, Paps," Alphys commented with a smile as you all worked on your food.

"THE MALL HAS OK QUALITY FOOD, BUT I CAN'T HELP BUT COMPARE IT TO MY OWN COOKING EXPERTISE."

Arching a brow you looked at the lanky skeleton. "You cook?"

"OF COURSE, I MAKE THE BEST SPAGHETTI. YOU SHOULD TRY IT SOME TIME."

Undyne cackled and wrapped an arm around Papyrus' shoulder. "Yeah! I taught him well. We have rad cooking lessons weekly!"

Your other friend had remained silent, but the expression Alphys gave you clearly stated not to question further. The silent plead became hard to keep as you were directly addressed.

"YOU SHOULD JOIN US SOMETIME! SURELY YOU COULD LEARN A THING OR TWO."

"Uh, maybe on one of my days off..?" Voice was tentative as you glanced at Alphys who was fiddling with her french fries. 

"You totally need the help of our cooking skills," Undyne replied with a laugh. "We both know you only make yourself microwaveable stuff."

At being called out you shrugged, shrinking down slightly from the gazes of your friends. "I guess it wouldn't hurt to learn some things."

The small meal progressed and the majority of your own onion rings were gone. Everyone was finishing up and a glance at your phone confirmed it was getting late. The mall would be closing up in a few hours and you had another morning shift tomorrow. It'd be best if you went on your way soon for the evening.

A bony hand reached between you and Papyrus, snatching up a packet of ketchup. Eyebrows furrowed in confusion and you tilted your head back to be met with two pinpricks of light watching you. You stared a moment at the newest arrival who had opened up the packet and began squeezing out the contents into his mouth. 

"Man that's gross; I told you not to do that in front of me," Undyne responded with a dramatic gagging noise.

"BROTHER, KETCHUP IS NOT A HEALTHY FORM OF SUSTENANCE!"

"don't worry, paps; it just goes right through me."

Silence fell upon the small table and you gaped at the skeleton. He seemed to be waiting cooly for some sort of response and you gave in eventually. Your sides heaved as you giggled, partially hiding your face with a hand. This had to have been Papyrus’ brother; he had addressed him as such. Your friend had mentioned his brother once in awhile, but not actively enough for you to put much thought into things. 

Introductions were given. Apparently his name was Sans and he and Papyrus were indeed siblings. The two had similarities, but held a lot of differences. Sans was shorter than his younger brother, closer to your own height. He had a few inches on you though. 

You didn't linger long after that. There was still some things you needed done around your house before you went to bed for the night. Saying farewell to your friends and newly met acquaintance; you headed home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The interest from all of you continues to amaze me. Thank you for sticking with me or just giving my first fan fiction a poke, it really means a lot to me. 
> 
> Thank you [Star](http://starsmahogany.tumblr.com/) for continuing to Beta and help me. You're a precious bb.


	6. No Need to Thank Me

There was a mingle of various scents in the air still; it was no surprise considering all the scented tarts Undyne had insisted on melting. The aquatic monster had been fascinated by the concept of the little wax cubes and each of your tart burners was subjected to a different scent. Your apartment was a clash of strawberry and pumpkin you couldn't quite grasp mentally. 

As you shuffled through the living room to eat breakfast, your toe collided with something hard. Pain shot up from the digit to your leg and a string of foul curses left your tongue. Glaring down heatedly at the object of your discomfort, you recalled Alphys bringing over her Gamecube. You forgot she left it here. It was a little outdated, but nothing beat some of the games you'd grown up with. There were plenty of older consoles anyways so a Gamecube was hardly considered ancient.

Sinking down into the couch, you went to work on your meager breakfast; oatmeal. It was the instant kind of course. All you needed was a microwave and water, like many other things you subjected your stomach to. Maybe cooking lessons really were needed after all. You grabbed your phone and texted Alphys; she wouldn't be up at such an early hour.

**\-- to Alphys 6:10 am --**  
_Hey, don't forget you left your Gamecube at my house._

**\-- to Alphys 6:11 am --**  
_I smacked my toe against it when I got up. D:_

You found your spoon clinking against an empty bowl; both were left resting on your coffee table. Leaning against the wall for support you shoved your feet into your boots and made your way out the door. The wooden surface was bare, save for a few stains that refused to be erased. As soon as the door was locked you hurriedly made your way down the stairs. 

Everything was still as you had grown accustom to in your early morning ventures. Something didn't quite settle right; a sense of foreboding lingered in the air. You couldn't place what had you so paranoid until your foot met the last step. There were two women lingering in the lobby and instantly their glares were set upon you. They had to have heard you coming down the stairs. Why hadn't you tried to be a little more quiet?

Taking a shaky breath you did your best to quiet the bundle of distress your insides had become. All you had to do was make it out the door and everything would be okay, at least for the time being. You were nearly there when the pressure of a hand met you shoulder. Reflexes went into overdrive and you spun, yanking yourself out of her grip.

"You look a little startled. Good," the one spoke as she stepped up beside the other. Her hair was dark and sloppily pulled back.

"She has no right to be scared, not yet anyways," the other added, her brown hair in a shaggy bob style.

Taking a step back in a desperate attempt to put more space between your form and the women, you spoke up. "Who even are you? I don't want any trouble."

The brunette snorted. "If ya' didn't want trouble you should've thought before mingling with the enemy."

"How do you expect us to raise our kids with those filthy monsters here?"

Swallowing thickly, you jolted when your back collided with something. Nerves were a light until you realized it was the smooth glass of the double doors. Fingers curled around the door handle and you pushed with what force you could muster. The door swung outwards, you tumbled out and barely caught your footing.

"Don't think we're stupid. We know you've been leaving earlier."

The darker haired women giggled darkly as they both joined you outside. She shoved your shoulders, tone sardonic as she spat, "We might as well treat you as 'em right?"

You stumbled, but caught yourself on the nearby guard rail. The distance between you and the parking lot across the street lessened as you sprinted off. Your shoulders ached dully, but nothing was compared to the pang of fear throbbing in your chest.

"Don't worry, we'll be waiting when you get back, bitch!" 

Their vocals followed you, but you were too busy getting in your car to pay attention to who said what. Your instinct to flee was overpowering and your heart pounded loudly in your chest. In your haste to unlock the car you dropped the keys; tears began to prick in the corner of your vision. Why weren't they going in the lock? They were the right keys after all. It shouldn't be this difficult.

In your panic the keys finally fit and you yanked the door open. You slid in your seat, door instantly locking once it was slammed shut. Seat belt was forgotten in your haste and the sneers from the women were hard to ignore as you drove off. Knuckles were turning white, the grip on the steering wheel far too tight. You needed to hold tight though, grip onto anything to keep you grounded mentally. 

It was a miracle no one was parked along the street close enough to warrant parallel parking. You were certain you wouldn't have been able to. The music from your radio might as well have been static, going ignored as you sat in your car. Head tilted back to rest against the back of the seat and you fought to steady your breathing. You practiced an all too familiar breathing exercise to calm yourself down.

Breathing in, you held it and counted mentally to three before exhaling slowly. You still felt too tense, chest far too tight, but you eased slightly. Everything was okay right now. They hadn't really hurt you at all; you were safe. Your car continued to be your sanctuary for a few moments before you shut it off.

Stepping out to greet the cold, you locked it up and crossed the street to Grillby's. It was just another morning and things were calm at the establishment. The flaming monster didn't have to look up to know it was you, he simply waved while messing with something behind the counter. Your signature stool at the bar didn't seem as comfortable and for once your laptop was left in your purse on the next stool.

"Morning, Grillby," you greeted, vocals as smooth as you could make them. "Can I get a shot of brandy?"

The monster paused whatever he had been doing under the counter, standing upright and looking at you. Was your voice that different? Maybe you hadn't been able to sound steady enough. Grillby watched you closely. You couldn't see his eyes, but somehow knew they were directed at you. After a moment he nodded, getting your shot and setting it in front of you. 

Handing him your card to keep for your stay at the bar, you gazed down at the dark amber liquid. All you wanted now was to numb your nerves and regain a sense of composure. A finger tapped at the glass gingerly and in an instant you downed the shot. The brandy burned your throat slightly, filling you with a familiar warmth that settled in your stomach. 

You sat there a moment before speaking up, "Uhm. Can I get a gin and tonic too?"

A rocks glass was set down with your drink, a wedge of lime floating among the ice cubes. Saying your thanks and forcing a smile you inched the drink closer to yourself. Taking a sip you ran a finger along the rim of the glass, your thoughts clawing at your mind rapidly.

You were safe now, but what when you got home? What if they were actually there waiting for you? There'd be no one with you, no one to keep you safe. You'd have to face them alone. As brave as you tried to be, you knew how to pick your battles... as petty as that sounded. If things factored into your favor you wore your confidence and held nothing back. When things weren't in your favor though, you ran. Things definitely wouldn't be in your favor with multiple neighbors. Your bravado was false. Why were you such a coward?

You hadn't noticed your hand shaking until smooth vocals drew you back to focus. "Is everything ok?"

Glancing at the flaming man you struggled on how to respond. Your initial instinct was to pull up a charade. You didn't want to be a bigger burden on the gentlemen that let you come to his establishment before it was even opened. 

"Yeah, everything's all good here." Voice faltered and you found your gaze averted elsewhere.

There was the familiar crackling you'd grown accustomed to. You focused on it and realized he wasn't going anywhere. Grillby remained in front of you, arm lightly resting against the counter as he studied you. Shrugging down into your jacket slightly you could just make out his eyes from this angle. They were a bright white and instead of the intensity you had expected, all you found was worry.

Taking a sip of your gin and tonic, you sighed shakily. "No," you admitted finally, "Not really."

You didn't like coming undone like this in front of others. People could be judgemental and in the end you'd only come off weak. Something told you though Grillby wasn't like that though. He'd been there to listen to ramble on about your day, friends and nerd sessions. He hadn't judged you at all then, why would it be any different now? Still you felt horrible knowing you'd be burdening him with your issues.

He remained silent, but his posture seemed to relax slightly at your admittance. Head tilted to the side in a gesture you could only describe as a welcoming to continue. You did continue, fingers fiddling nervously with your jacket sleeves.

"My neighbors in the apartment have been harassing me." You debated how much to reveal to the flame, but kept going. "They're not very supporting of monsters and sort of picked up on my not so subtle cues of being all pro-monster."

Grillby nodded in understanding, but let you lead and do all the talking. He was eager to listen and you appreciated that. "I've had to clean slander and graffiti off my door, but today.." Your voice cracked and you flinched upon realizing this. 

Silence crept along and you took another drink. You turned the rock glass slightly, watching the ice cubes float around and clink together. A warmth seeped onto your left shoulder. The sensation was pleasant and you found your slouched self visibly relaxing. 

Wait, that was Grillby's hand wasn't it? You glanced up at the monster and sure enough he had rested a hand on your shoulder briefly before pulling away. It was a reassuring gesture and gave you the steadiness to finish.

"I had two women confront me and give me a pretty hard time before I left this morning." There was no point going into further details, but you felt a little lighter upon getting it off your chest. "I don't understand why people have to be that way."

"That's not something anyone can answer." His voice was quiet as he shifted slightly. "Not everyone can be so accepting."

Sighing with a nod you finished your drink. "It's sad but true," you commented gently before adding, "I just wish they'ed leave monsters alone if they don't want to be peaceful."

Grillby appeared to contemplate something as he looked at you. "Just be careful." The flaming man seemed as if he were about to continue, but fell silent again.

"Yeah, I'll keep trying." Finishing your drink you glanced at the time on your phone. It'd be time to leave soon. "Thanks for listening to this nerd's troubles."

Talking about it had helped; it was if a unseen burden had been lifted from your chest. You were thankful for that, because he didn't have to listen to you ramble. Offering him a soft smile you watched as he went to ring up your drinks. 

"There's no need to thank me for that." He returned your card and you shoved it back into your wallet. 

You lingered there a little longer then you needed to before slipping from your perch on the stool. Turning to give him a wave you stepped outside, already missing the soothing warmth he had supplied you with. The day wasn't looking all that daunting anymore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You have no idea how giddy I get when I see new views, comments and kudos. Thank you so much! You guys motivated me to write and get this chapter out sooner then i thought I would. You can expect the next one coming pretty soon as well. I hope the texting format for the story looks okay as it'll be popping up some more in the future chapters. 
> 
> [Star](http://starsmahogany.tumblr.com/) continues to be an amazing friend and Beta that listens to be ramble about the Grillbae and ideas.


	7. Pummel Your Tomato

The beat from your ear buds offered a welcomed distraction. You had to revert to your old tricks practiced back when you were in school. Your phone was tucked away in your pocket and the cord traveled up through your hoodie. Ever since Lincoln had accidentally ran into a customer while listening to music your boss had banned it. There was a radio, but it was only used during the closing shifts. 

Placing the last of the Poptart containers onto a shelf, you pulled out your phone. You'd been texting with Alphys back and forth throughout the day. Casting a glance to make sure no one was watching, you texted her.

**\-- to Alphys 4:17 pm --**   
_I get out of here soon. Yay._

You shoved the phone back into your pocket and stood up. Your knees popped from the change after being bent for so long. Picking up the empty box you hauled it into the storage room. Glancing between the equally sized boxes of cereal and pasta you debated which to take out first. In the end you decided on the cereal and carried the box out to the proper isle. You felt your phone vibrate and checked it.

**\-- from Alphys 4:19 pm --**   
_I don't think you should go home.. :T_

**\-- from Alphys 4:20 pm --**   
_Hey why don't you stay the night at my house? It can be like a sleep over._

**\-- to Alphys 4:26 pm --**   
_Lawl haven't had a sleepover since i was in high school. But yeah alright. Thanks Alph._

The remainder of your shift went without any incidents from customers. It was one of the more smoother days in a good while, likely to do with the fact you weren't on cashier duty today. Dealing with people could be exhausting and it wasn't uncommon to have cranky customers.

After writing down hours on your time card, you left. The car was cold and you found yourself huddling down into your jacket as you turned the heat up. It'd take a while for it to affect the car's temperature however. Doing your best to ignore the bite of the cold, you headed off towards Alphys' house.

Alphys only lived about ten minutes away in Ebott Village. It was a rural community nestled around the base of Mount Ebott. Most of the monsters took up residence there after they emerged, as it served as the only entrance and exit to their former home. It was no surprise they wanted to stay close. 

As you drove down the streets, it was clear a lot of the houses were newer additions. The paint looked crisper and a few of the houses were still under construction. You slowed once turning down the road Alphys lived on. Her car was in the driveway and you pulled up behind it.

The yellow reptile already had the door open, waving at you from behind the outer screen door. "Looks like you didn't get lost."

You grinned and replied, "Pretty good for it only being my second time here."

Your friend led you inside and you both got situated in the living room. Unsurprisingly Netflix was on the television, hovering over some sort of anime. Her coffee table was slightly askew and littered with various video games.

Groaning you commented, "Hope your day was better then mine." 

Alphys was staring at your chest, clearly deep in thought over something. A brow was quirked slightly, but she seemed to realize you were watching and focused once more. "Oh, y-yeah it wasn't anything special t-though. Same old."

Self consciously you brought folded your arms over yourself. That was weird. Why had she been looking at you that way?

"So lots of anime and research then?" You laughed and tried to push the thoughts away.

"More or less, you know me." Alphys chuckled and rose off the couch. "H-hey do you want anything? I have some soda or grape juice."

"Whatever works, it doesn't matter to me."

She disappeared into the kitchen and returned with two cans of some sort of off-brand orange soda. Cracking it open and taking a drink you sat it down on the coffee table. Your friend appeared to be in thought as she shuffled through Netflix. You both decided on something after a while. An animated cartoon started up that you hadn't seen before. It didn't quite pull your interest though.

"H-hey ___?" 

"Hmm? What's up?" You turned to look at your friend. 

Her gaze lingered to your chest briefly before shifting back to your face. "Have you uhm, b-been feeling d-different at all lately?"

"Different how?"

"You have a lot of r-residual magic hanging a-around you." 

"What?" You looked at your nervous friend, confused. "What does that even mean?"

"It's nothing usually, but I've never really seen a human with so much before." She caught your stare and elaborated further. "It just means a m-monster has been using a chunk of magic around you."

"Oh. That's kind of weird."

"Y-yeah a little."

Scrunching your brows you delved into your thoughts. You had been hanging out with monsters lately; the majority of your friend circle were monsters now. None of them had been using magic, as far as you knew anyways. 

The day progressed into you and Alphys playing her Playstation. You spent at least a good few minutes admiring the console before playing some of your favorite games as a kid. Spyro and Crash Bandicoot would always have a place in your heart. During Alphys' turn on a single player game, you messed with your phone. Apparently you'd gotten a few text messages.

**\-- from CoolSkeleton95 6:34 pm --**   
_I HOPE YOU DIDN'T FORGET ABOUT OUR COOKING LESSON HUMAN. UNDYNE AND I, WILL SURELY HAVE YOU A PROPER COOK IN NO TIME._

**\-- from CoolSkeleton95 6:36 pm --**   
_ARE YOU FREE NOW?_

"Oh man I totally forgot.."

"About what?" Alphys questioned, peering at you after pausing her game.

"The cooking lesson."

She groaned and spoke up, "There's no way you're getting out of it now. M-might as well get it over with."

**\-- to CoolSkeleton95 6:50 pm --**   
_Uh sure. I'm at Alphys’ house though._

You got a reply almost instantly and Alphys had got up to prepare for the ordeal that was about to unfold. She assured you preparing was very much necessary and mentioned something about sprinklers. 

**\-- from CoolSkeleton95 6:51 --**   
_GOOD THINKING, THE DRIVING DISTANCE WILL BE MUCH SMALLER NOW! WE'LL BE THERE SHORTLY._

 

You decided to help your reptile friend prepare for the cooking lesson. The preparations were primarily safety precautions. The fire extinguisher was kept close, the indoor sprinklers were ready at a moment's notice. Alphys even went far enough to have locked off settings on her stove; it wouldn't go above a certain temperature. It was amazing what your friend could rig up and do honestly. She was good at tinkering and building things like that.

Just as you finished covering the cushions on the kitchen chairs in some sort of sheet,the front door opened. Undyne and Papyrus both clamored into the kitchen, arms full of bags with various supplies. The sight of a large tub of sprinkles and multiple packages of raw pasta caught your attention. What in the world did they have planned?

"Sorry for not seeing your text this morning." Undyne sighed and continued, "I could've came and taught those bitches a lesson."

"It's alright, I managed to calm down at-"

Your words were promptly interrupted by Papyrus. "UNDYNE, HOW COULD YOU? THAT IS VERY VULGAR LANGUAGE, HIGHLY UNBEFITTING OF THE ROYAL GUARD CAPTAIN. IS THAT WHAT YOU WANT TO TEACH THE MONSTER YOUTH?"

Snorting you helped put away the items deemed unneeded for this weeks cooking lesson. The two continued to bicker back and forth. Eventually you were ushered to stand back as Papyrus put a pot of water on a burner.

"Make sure you open up the package as awesome as you can!" Undyne instructed, materializing a glowing spear out of nowhere. 

The spear punctured the plastic package and she yanked it to the side, tearing a gaping gash at the top. Raw noodles were dumped into the barely boiling water and the bag discarded onto the floor. During all of this Alphys was seated at the table, a book in hand to distract herself with. You could see the nervous twitch of her tail though, and the way her gaze lifted from the pages to spectate. 

"NORMALLY THIS IS WHERE YOU PUMMEL YOUR TOMATO INTO SUBMISSION." The lanky skeleton put a skillet onto another burner.

"We forgot the tomato though." Undyne thrust a jar of tomato paste at you and cackled. "Luckily we already have a backup plan in place. Open this with your super strength!"

You quirked a brow and took the jar from your friend. Try as you might you couldn't get the lid to come loose. The skeleton monster was encouraging that you'd get the hang of it eventually as Undyne took the jar and opened it. Their enthusiasm was contagious, and as you were given some garlic to dice, you posed dramatically for effect. 

It didn't go as badly as you had anticipated originally. The spaghetti seemed fine and there was a minimal disaster. The counter and stovetop received the majority of the mess. You made a promise to Alphys to help her clean it off after the cooking was all finished up. There was a pretty neat trick for cleaning things that you really wanted to show it off.

The three of you sat down at the table and Papyrus nominated himself to pass out plates. A dish of steaming pasta was placed in front of you and your stomach was eager for you to get to work on it. A little parmesan cheese later and you dug in. It was actually pretty good spaghetti.

Undyne added a mountain of parmesan on top of her spaghetti and you snorted. "Jeez, want some actual spaghetti with your cheese, Undyne?"

"Watch it punk! I still have to grade your lesson." She grinned and shoved a forkful into her mouth.

"FRET NOT, I THINK YOU DID VERY WELL FOR YOUR FIRST LESSON! YOUR TECHNIQUE NEEDS SOME WORK, BUT IT'S NOTHING WE CAN'T FIX. I HAVE FAITH IN YOU."

You giggled and took a drink of your soda. "Thanks, not sure what I'd do without great mentors like you two."

"Eating ramen all the time?" Alphys offered and the skeleton seemed to brighten at the praise.

"I WAS PLANNING TO WAIT FOR ANOTHER COOKING DAY, BUT THIS EVENING SEEMS JUST AS GOOD. THE GREAT PAPYRUS WILL ASTONISH YOU WITH HIS LATEST CREATION!"

Your skeleton friend did just that. After Alphys, Undyne and yourself were done eating he ushered you out of the kitchen. You hesitated and offered to help clean, but Papyrus was having none of it. You plopped down onto the loveseat in the living room and Alphys and Undyne rested on the couch. Some sort of anime was put on, but it went ignored as conversation flowed.

"Thanks for letting me hang tonight, Alph." You paused and continued, "I really didn't want to go home.."

Undyne and Alphys shared a look as she replied. "It's really no problem."

"It's not fair they're giving you a hard time. It's practically harassment!"

Heaving a sigh you glanced up at the television hanging on the wall. "It's not, but I should've kept my mouth shut. "

"You were only doing what was right though. You shouldn't get bullied over that." Undyne scowled at the words and crossed her arms.

The sound of clanking metal and pots came from the kitchen. It wasn't loud enough to cause alarm, but sounded like the skeleton was stirring something in a metal bowl. There was an odd slightly burnt smell in the air as well.

"Humanity sucks." Groaning, you let your head rest against the back.

"N-not all of humanity." Alphys reassured, tossing a throw pillow your way to lighten the mood.

"Shit, I don't even have clothes for work tomorrow or pajamas." You had just rushed over directly after work. How could you even forget something so important? The idea of returning home wasn't settling with you either. 

"Don't worry," the aquatic monster rose and motioned for you to follow. "I'm sure some of my clothes here will fit. Pretty sure Alphys has something if they don’t."

"Feel free to wear whatever fits you." Alphys smiled and waved you along as she went to check on Papyrus.

Trailing after Undyne up the stairs, you tried to ignore the odd yet sweet scent wafting from the kitchen. Entering a room that was obviously Alphys', Undyne began to dig around in the closet. You took a moment to admire the nice set up she had for a computer. She had two screens, a really nice looking microphone and gaming keyboard. You really wanted to invest into a desktop computer, but your budget never allowed for it.

A few shirts, pants and various pajama bottoms were flung at you. Undyne chuckled and let you try them on. You could hear her footsteps going back down the stairs. You settled on a nice baggy pair of pajama pants. Eventually you did find a shirt and bottom combo that fit you nicely. It felt a little weird wearing someone else's clothes; it'd be taxing on your nerves to avoid getting anything slopped on them. Alphys had a lot of nice graphic tee shirts and you made a note to ask her where she got some of them at.

Once fully comfortable in pajamas, you went back down stairs. Peering around the wall into the kitchen you saw Papyrus placing what looked like muffins on a platter. It smelled different, but oddly pleasant. 

Papyrus noticed you and held up the platter. "YOU'RE JUST IN TIME TO TRY MY LATEST CREATION!"

"They look really good."

"OF COURSE! I'D ONLY HAVE THE BEST QUALITY FOR MY FRIENDS."

Giggling you took a muffin from the platter and leaned against the counter. Alphys and Undyne both had a muffin of their own. They were watching you expectantly. You shrugged and bit into the muffin. The texture was perfect, moist but not overly so. There were even sprinkles baked into it adding a cute effect. You were about the praise the skeleton monster, until you got a surprise.

The inside of the muffin was filled with spaghetti. The same pasta you all had for dinner. The onslaught of flavors assaulted your mouth and you wrinkled your nose. Chewing as fast as you could, you forced the mouthful down. You definitely hadn't been expecting that. Relaxing your face after realizing you had it scrunched up, you looked to the skeleton. 

Papyrus was watching you closely, gaze scrutinizing and awaiting a comment. Smacking your lips a few times you grinned at him and offered a thumbs up. As your friend was turned and rambling about his creation, you slipped it into the trash. The couple across from you were stifling their laughter as you shook your head. Muffins and spaghetti did not go well together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is by far my favorite title of a chapter so far. xD   
> Everyone that shows interest in my fic in one form or another is a precious cutie patootie. Thank you, each and every one of you. uwu
> 
> [Star](http://starsmahogany.tumblr.com/) is still my Beta hero. You'll always be my 'snepi'.


	8. Getting Warmed Up

"See dude, it's not that bad here."

"I SUPPOSE SO, THOUGH I'D MUCH PREFER A REFINED RESTAURANT. DID GRILLBY FINALLY ADD SPAGHETTI TO HIS CUISINE?"

You snorted and looked at the skeleton. "Spaghetti isn't bar food."

"NONSENSE!" Papyrus was adamant, you'd give him that. "SPAGHETTI IS AN ANY PLACE KIND OF FOOD IF PREPARED IN A PRECISE WAY."

After coating a fry in a considerable amount of cheese you popped it into your mouth. There was no point in arguing with the skeleton when he had his mind set. You had no idea why he thought so poorly of Grillby's. He had claimed the food was greasy, but wasn't most food? You personally didn't find it greasy at all.

"So, you come up with any new recipes?" you inquired.

"I'VE COME UP WITH A CONSIDERABLE AMOUNT ACTUALLY. I HOPE YOU'LL BE THERE TO TRY SOME OF THEM?"

It'd already been twenty minutes or so since the two of you arrived. Where were the others at? You picked up Papyrus after work and had come directly to Grillby's to meet with the group. The energetic skeleton had insisted on being exactly on time and the pair of you arrived not a minute late. He'd went as far as making you wait outside for a few minutes so you were exactly punctual. 

"Yeah of course, Paps," you spoke with a smile. "I bet they'll be just as amazing as your spaghetti muffins."

"I PREFER TO CALL THEM MUFFETTI. IT HAS A VERY NICE RING TO IT."

Giggling you consumed another fry and replied, "It's definitely something. I'm sure it'll catch on in no time."

The conversation between the two of you drifted pleasantly. It was late afternoon and wouldn't be too long before more patrons began drizzling into the bar. You were excited to catch up with a few of the regulars, especially the dogs. You hadn't spent an evening at the bar for almost a week; of course mornings were a different story. 

Your gaze lingered on your phone and you barely registered an aqua hand sneaking in to steal a french fry. Undyne and Alphys arrived and sat down on the opposite side of the booth. As Papyrus took the time to scold the aquatic monster you giggled. Group outings like this were becoming common and you really enjoyed them.

"What's up, grill man? Can I get a burger?"

Undyne's vocals drew your attention to Grillby who had soundlessly slipped up next to the table. Not a word was uttered from the monster; instead he gave a polite dip of his head in response. 

"You should make her order take longer; she keeps stealing my fries." You puffed out your lower lip in a mock pout as you joked.

"Yo, it was only one fry!" she protested, leaning forward to grab another. "If you insist I guess I'll take another."

"Fry thief," you gasped dramatically and grinned.

Grillby simply watched on during all of this, the flames licking from the back of his neck to the top of his head dancing in what you came to learn was amusement. Spending nearly every morning near the fire elemental had let you pick up on certain cues and body language. His fire crackled lowly as he looked towards Alphys.

"Can I get fries with ranch please?"

He nodded and waited momentarily to be sure no one else needed anything before retreating. You watched him disappear in the back door, already noticing the shift of light in the room. It didn't take him long to return with your orders and an unrequested bottle of ketchup. Before anyone could question the motives your newest skeleton acquaintance suddenly appeared beside the table.

"Where did you even come from?" You arched a brow as Sans dragged a chair over.

Sans chuckled and sat down. "didn't you get the memo? magic."

"You can't use that as an answer for everything. Alphys, tell him he can't."

"Well t-technically he's being honest?" She offered with a shrug.

"no need to pull your _hare_ out. why would i lie about something like that?"

Narrowing your gaze you spoke, "That was a really cheap _trick_."

"looks like you had to really _pocus_ on that one bud."

Admitting defeat with a laugh you continued eating the remainder of your fries. The gathering of your friends continued in good fun. Each of you finished your food, though you weren't sure Sans' choice of ketchup was considered part of the meal. Plans were brought up about having another get together at someone's house to play Clash of Specters. 

Eventually you ended up ordering yourself an alcoholic drink. Alphys and Undyne were fueled into getting drinks of their own. Papyrus on the other hand decided to get a milkshake. You couldn't imagine Papyrus drinking alcohol and enjoying it. Sans had agreed with this and refused to let his brother try anyone's ordered drinks.

"I'm still surprised you're not a lightweight." Undyne cackled at you from across the table.

"Guess I'm good at being an undercover alcohol expert," you deadpanned.

Alphys piped up with a giggle, "You do make some pretty good mixed drinks."

"Yeah, but can she handle 'em?" The aquatic monster jabbed at you. 

"Of course I can."

"I BELIEVE IN YOU _____! THOUGH PERHAPS CAPTAIN UNDYNE ISN'T THE MOST APPROPRIATE CANDIDATE TO CHALLENGE."

Undyne grinned and slammed her hand on the table. "A challenge? Good idea Paps!" 

"Fine you're on, let's do this!"

You could feel eyes settle on your group upon the announcement. Peering to the bar you caught Grillby's gaze. The flames on his head wavered uncertainty and you flashed him a reassuring grin. The other patrons in the bar had taken notice as well and were chattering away.

"Well Captain, what should we start with?" you teased with a giggle.

"Tequila? You both like that," Alphys offered.

"Brilliant as always, babe." The aquatic monster leaned and affectionately wrapped an arm around Alphys.

Sans squirted a heap of ketchup from the bottle into his mouth, earning a groan from you. "How do you even manage to like ketchup that way?"

The skeleton shrugged and replied "everyone has their own tastes." He offered the bottle to you. "you should try it some time."

"How do you taste though? You don't have a tongue." Sans was about to speak and you hurriedly added, "Don't even say magic."

"BROTHER STOP HARASSING THE HUMAN. NO ONE WANTS TO TRY YOUR UNHEALTHY AFFAIR WITH KETCHUP."

"well, guess i can't answer you then." Sans winked.

The conversation was dropped as Grillby brought over two shot glasses of tequila, and a small platter of lime wedges. You licked the side of your hand before sprinkling some salt on it. The moisture helped the salt to stick. Undyne was quick to follow behind you and grabbed a lime wedge.

"Ready punk?"

"I'm always ready." Grinning you picked up a lime wedge and took the shot glass in your other hand.

"OH! CAN I COUNT? THE GREAT PAPYRUS WOULD LIKE TO OFFER HIS COUNTING SERVICES FOR THE COMPETITION."

"Sure Paps." You smile and add, "On the count of three?"

"good thing you _eight_ earlier." Sans piped up absently and the minor pun earned him a snort.

Papyrus counted and upon reaching three, you licked the salt from your hand and downed the shot. You and Undyne finished and bit into the lime simultaneously. It went down smooth for the most part, though you could feel the effects of it settling in your stomach.

The two of you continued to take shots while the conversation progressed among your friends. It was getting late and by the third shot Papyrus decided it was nearing his bed time. You questioned giving him a ride but Sans was insistent he had it taken care of. He had to go read him a bedtime story anyways. You stood to let Papyrus out of the booth and watched the brothers head out the door. 

You were the first to suggest moving your party to the bar. There were just enough open stools for you and your friends to sit by one another. It'd be easier on Grillby if your group was at the counter anyways. He wouldn't have to run over and refill your shot glasses. You felt guilty about making him go back and forth constantly. 

Climbing up with surprising balance, you patted the nearby stool and glanced back at Undyne. The monster couple moved to join you at the bar and you turned your focus to the heat that had settled in front of you. 

Maybe it was the tequila but you became more aware of Grillby. Everything seemed to grow sharper. The swirls of yellow danced with orange to form patterns on his exposed flames. As you shifted to look at his face you noticed the area around his cheeks and non existent nose was a different shade. It looked more bright as if the area itself was hotter than the rest. 

He must've caught you staring as his glasses were pointed directly at you. There was no way to see his eyes behind the reflection on his glasses, but you could feel him studying you. As Undyne ordered another round of shots your gaze was pulled away from the elemental monster.

"Still hanging in there, champ?" Undyne nudged your shoulder with her elbow.

"Totally." Grinning you continued, "I'm not letting you win that easily Undyne."

"Wooo! That's what I want to hear!" Undyne cheered and the table of dogs behind you followed suite with cheering.

Grillby returned shortly with more lime wedges and shot glasses. You said your thanks as he poured the tequila and went to clean up the abandoned booth. Downing the shot with Undyne, you couldn't help but watch the flaming monster as he wiped down the table. You weren't the only one with wandering eyes however. As you turned back to your friends you caught them both staring at you. Undyne smirked and wiggled her eyebrows rather suggestively. 

She joked, "Didn't think you had that sort of thing in you." 

Alphys giggled as the elemental walked back behind the bar and Undyne took it upon herself to order more shots. You and Undyne were six rounds in by the time the shorter skeleton sibling returned. Sans sat down on the other side of you and you couldn't recall hearing him enter the bar.

"I'm tired of tequila. We should do something else," you spoke up.

"We should do Fireball." The aquatic monster motioned Grillby over and continued, "Hook us up with some Fireball, Grillbz."

As Grillby placed two new shot glasses on the table, you caught his gaze. He appeared to be contemplating something before carefully pouring the shots. You became aware you'd been biting at your lip absently and hadn't fully felt it. It had grown a little too hot for your liking and you fought yourself free from your jacket. 

"Hold this." You tossed the discarded jacket onto Sans' lap.

"don't _burn_ under the pressure."

"Come on punk let's go," Undyne demanded.

You picked up the glass. "Don't worry, I'm only getting..." Pausing with a giggle you continued, "... _warmed_ up."

You both conquered the shots and you instantly felt the tingle of cinnamon on your throat and tongue. Grillby's flamed popped in what you figured was concern as he watched on. Your surroundings were growing intense and everything felt a little off balance as you looked around.

"that shot must've really packed some _heat_."

Before you had time to fully register, you teased, "A little, but that's not the only thing that's _hot_ in here." 

Your gaze had lingered to the fire elemental as you spoke and Undyne erupted with laughter beside you. Grillby's flames seemed to spike up, growing in intensity as he tried to busy himself with something behind the counter.

After another shot of Fireball, Undyne decided to stick with tequila and finish off the lime wedges. You nearly fell off your stool once and hadn't been aware you were growing a little more sloppy with the salt on your hand as you progressed. You nearly missed all of it with the last shot and upon noticing it afterwards began licking it awkwardly off your hand.

"Are you alright?" Familiar smokey vocals drew your attention somewhat back to reality.

You simply nodded and smiled at Grillby. "Mhm, never been better."

His fire crackled and a glass of water was placed down in front of you. You took it gratefully and gulped it down. The sudden rush of water made your stomach protest. Wrapping your arm around your stomach instinctively at the sudden queasiness, you waved to your friends. Alphys had to help guide Undyne out of the bar as the aquatic monster was clearly drunk.

"The water should help," Grillby commented, voice low as he picked up the mess you and your friends had made. "Just take it easy for a bit."

Sans watched the interaction with sudden interest. His eye lights darted between you and Grillby. As the flaming owner walked away to tend to something else, Sans turned to you.

"i've never heard grillby talk so much before."

You met Sans' gaze and quirked a brow. "Huh?"

"i mean what i said. the guy is normally mute."

You struggled to let this sink in your alcohol riddled brain. Grillby never failed to talk to you during the morning visits, though he did get quiet when other patrons were around. Now that your attention was on it, you'd never heard him speak when you visited in the evenings. That was odd, but a part of you felt special at being privileged in hearing his smooth vocals. You weren't sure exactly why you held this deviation though. What made you special?

Letting your chin rest on your arm you took notice of some salt still stuck to your hand. You were bothered by this development and let out a whine. You could've just wiped it off yourself, but your head felt far too heavy to lift at the moment.

Sans must've heard the pathetic noise as he spoke, "what's up?" 

"There's salt on my hand," you mumbled and felt tears prick in the corner of your eyes upon hearing the skeleton laugh loudly.

You felt yourself drawn to the warmth that had showed up and you blinked up at Grillby. He was wiping off your hand with his rag and from this angle you could make out his eyes. The elemental's gaze was worried as he tentatively wiped away a tear that had strayed down your cheek. You weren't even aware why you were crying or even that you had been.

"M' tummy hurts," you spoke up pitifully.

Grillby remained silently watching you with worry as you reached out towards him. Letting your index finger rest against the top of Grillby's hand, you absently trailed your fingers over his wrist. It felt solid and smooth like skin, but held a heat that no human would have. You hadn't actually known what he felt like before and let curiosity get the best of you. The elemental didn't seem to mind as you continued with the exploration of his hand.

"you probably shouldn't drive." Sans voice startled you and you drew your hand back embarrassed. 

"Probably not." You glanced back to Grillby and noticed the area around his cheeks was a pale shade of yellow and white.

"come on, i know a shortcut." 

The skeleton offered you a hand and you took it as he helped you stand. You wobbled unsteadily, fingers gripping onto the fabric of his hoodie as you struggled to stay standing. In an instant the safe warmth of Grillby's was torn away and you let out a squeak. Closing your eyes tight you felt as if you were floating. With a jolt everything was solid and upon opening your eyes you were greeted with your living room.

Sans stayed briefly to make sure you were alright before vanishing in thin air. Leaning on the wall for support you managed to make it to your bedroom, your purse and jacket forgotten on the couch. The world was spinning and you weren't sure why. The only thing you were certain of was the overwhelming need to feel safe and warm again as sleep took you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I never imagined my story would get so much interest. Oh goodness. Thank you to everyone that's commented, left a kudo, book marked, subscribed or even simply gave this a poke. It means so much to me. So thank you. I hope you all have a FABU-FUL day! 
> 
> Chapters should be rolling out actively and frequent here again soon. c: Things are going to progress pretty quickly here in the story after the next chapter. Keep an eye out for additional tags.
> 
> As always [Star](http://starsmahogany.tumblr.com/) continues to be an amazing Beta and friend. Literally she's helped me out so much.


	9. It's a Little Complicated

Everything was too bright as you cracked your eyes open. With a groan, you buried your face into your pillow and shifted onto your side. Your entire body ached and there was an annoying stiffness in your neck. Smacking your lips a few times to try and relieve the dryness proved futile. What had even woken you? You weren't ready to pry yourself from slumber yet.

Something vibrated against your stomach and you reached down to find your phone. Checking the cell phone you kept your face shielded from the light filtering through your partially drawn blinds. Seemed you had quite a few texts to go through.

**\-- From Undyne 12:00 am --**  
_U shld give the Grillbz man ur numbr_

**\-- From Undyne 12:02 am --**  
_since you thnk hes so 'hot' HAHA_

**\-- From Alphys 1:15 am --**  
_Hope you made it home ok. Sorry for running out like that. Undyne was a mess._

**\-- From Alphys 1:17 am --**  
_Let me know you got home alright._

**\-- From CoolSkeleton95 7:04 am --**  
_MAKE SURE YOU DRINK PLENTY OF WATER, I READ IT'S GOOD FOR HUMANS AFTER ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION._

**\-- From Alphys 10:30 am --**  
_I know you're probably sleeping still, but I hope you're feeling okay._

Rubbing at your eyes, you brought your legs up as you practically curled into a ball. You didn't have work today and were set in remaining within the comforts of your bed. Getting out of bed before noon wasn't an option for you. There was a slight throbbing in your head and you had a serious case of heartburn. 

**\-- To Alphys 10:34 am --**  
_I'll be fine. This heartburn is killer though. D:_

You replied to Alphys with your own text and sat your phone on the nearby nightstand. Peering at the digital clock that resided there a moment, you closed your eyes. It was hard to ignore the stickiness in your mouth as you tried to build up saliva to fix the dryness. Sleep managed to crawl upon you once more however and you welcomed it.

After fits of wakefulness and forcing yourself back to sleep, you finally decided it was time to get up. A peek at the clock revealed it was nearly a quarter past noon. The hardwood floor was a stark contrast to the warmth of your bed. You winced as you placed down your other foot and grabbed your phone. You were still wearing the clothes from last night, but ignored that fact as you groggily slipped into the kitchen.

Making yourself a cup of tea you decided a banana would be nice on your stomach. Taking your late breakfast into the living room, you curled up on the couch under a blanket. Your closed laptop was at the other end and you debated briefly about loading up Clash of Specters. It'd been a few days since you last played. You took a sip of your tea before sitting it on the coffee table and grabbed at the laptop.

As you waited for it to boot up, you glanced at the television that had obviously been left on. The news mentioned something about monsters and it instantly peaked your curiosity. Turning up the volume you listened to the news as you entered in your computer's password. There had been another monster related incident apparently.

The reporter on TV was standing in front of a store of some kind. One of the display windows in the front was busted open and graffiti coated the remaining windows. The majority of it was hateful phrases towards monsters. What stood out to you though were the phrases clearly directed towards the Royal monster family in general: 'Down with Asgore.' and ‘If you can't stop the humans we will.' They apparently had no leads on the vandalism. 

You began to drown out the television as your computer fully loaded up. Opening up Skype you took notice that Undyne wasn't online and Alphys was set to away. There was a call going on among a few of your other online friends you gamed with. You weren't certain on joining it just yet though. They probably weren't doing anything interesting anyways. The world of Clash of Specters loaded up as you finished your banana and sat the peel down next to your cup of tea

The pixel world revealed a looming stone structure behind your character. It appeared to be a temple of sorts. Your character was right where you left yourself after doing a dungeon raid with the group. It was a lower leveled dungeon, but you had a specific reason for doing it. Opening up your inventory you saw the few onyxes you'd gathered from loot chests. There was one for each slot of armor and when applied it'd make equipment glow. You were determined to get Papyrus his glowing armor he so desperately coveted. 

As you summoned your pet in the game a Skype call notification popped up. Alphys obviously wasn't away anymore and noticed you online. You minimized Clash of Specters briefly to answer the call as you put on your headset.

"Someone decided to start early today."

You chuckled and replied, "Yeah. I'm not ready to face the real world yet."

Shuffling could be heard from your friend's side. "I can't say I blame you. N-no one takes Undyne up on her challenges and is ready to face the world the next day."

"This heartburn is seriously annoying."

Bringing the game window back up you mounted your summoned pet. The large red pelted feline made your traveling go much smoother. You passed through various maps to get to your destination and the world of Clash of Specters simply passed by. When you reached the city you got a party invite from Alphys and accepted it.

"Oh, you're in Collisun City," Alphys spoke up curiously, "Why?"

"I got some onyxes to put on some gear."

"Sweet. You making a new god set?"

"I don't need another set. I figured I'd help Papyrus get some 'wondrous glowing armor' that he wanted." You giggled at your failed interpretation of your friend.

Alphys could be hard tapping away at her keys as you went around to the various stalls. After gathering the needed supplies, you attached the onyxes to a few pieces of armor. The stats weren't anything amazing, but it'd be perfect for his next set of levels as a warrior. Sending it to his character with the mailing option the game supplied, you headed towards Alphys’ location.

"So Alph, have any plans today?"

She sighed and replied, "Not really, Undyne is busy with training the guard today."

That seemed to be a growing recurrence. Undyne had always taken her job seriously, but was now siphoning in more of her time. You supposed it had to do with the escalating anti-monster groups. It was taking its toll on Alphys to an extent. She disliked being alone and it was clear she missed the companionship of her girlfriend.

"You can come over today if you want? We can nerd out on anime or something. I still have a few box sets you haven't watched."

"Sure, that sounds a-awesome."

 

A simple glance around your living room revealed exactly how much you had slacked off. The remains of this morning's breakfast on your coffee table was joined by various empty containers, silverware and cups. You couldn't even recall what had been in most of them, but the collection had built up over the last few days. Cleaning up your place would be a fairly good idea.

Rising you stacked up all the dishes on the table in front of you and carried them to the kitchen sink. A second trip was made to grab all the instant food containers and throw them out. You stared down at your kitchen sink in contempt. It took a chunk of willpower for you to get them started and soaking in some water. 

You managed to clean yourself up enough to come off presentable just as there were a few raps at your door. Hurriedly you gathered up all the clothes abandoned in your living room. Flinging them into the bathroom you went to welcome your friend.

"Hey Alph," you greeted upon opening the door.

Alphys shuffled inside and spoke up, "Y-you might want t-to clean off your door later."

Quirking a brow you finally took notice of the wooden door. The surface was riddled with grooves carved out for words. It was all slander or threats. The ones that instantly stood out to you were: 'Watch yourself cunt' and 'Monster fucker'.

You glared heatedly down the empty hall and slammed your door shut. 

"I hate this place. People can be such dicks."

"I'm s-sorry you have to deal with t-this." Alphys looked to you, a frown marring her features.

"It's not your fault," you said, patting her on the back lightly. "You hungry?"

She appeared to think a moment before shaking her head gently. "Nah I'll be okay."

"Probably better for you," you joked and continued, "I still don't cook very well."

Alphys giggled and added, "Well you could always get more lessons from Papyrus."

As Alphys sat down on your couch, you went about setting up your Xbox One and getting out the dvd box set. Alphys had mentioned her love for magical anime with superheros and ever since you had been set on getting her to watch Tokyo Mew Mew. The name alone sounded similar to a series the reptile gushed about constantly, so you were hopeful. You settled down on the other end of the couch and let the series begin. 

You hummed to the theme song as it played and watched as your friend became engrossed in the anime. As much as you loved the series, you couldn't stop your mind from wandering. There was no way you'd be able to get the carvings out of your door. The landlord would have a fit and you didn't want to deal with being screamed at. It wasn't your fault though, right? You didn't deserve to be scolded for something beyond your control.

There was a way you could control it though; inwardly you knew that. You'd have to stop associating with your friends. The neighbors would probably stop bothering you and you'd fade into practical non existence. You had grown so attached to your little group. Even if you did decide to keep to yourself, it wouldn't help them at all. They'd still get harassed by certain humans and continue having their own inner monster issues. 

You wanted to be able to help them, even if it meant digging yourself further in your own problems. There was no way you could help solve the larger issues, but you could still be there. The idea of something horrible happening to one of them bothered you greatly. You wanted to be able to protect and help them just as much as they helped you.

Aiding them with humans wasn't too much of a issue, aside from you being a terrible fighter. There were weapons to deal with too like guns or knives, but hand to hand combat with another human could be plausible... Probably. Monsters on the other hand had magic and skills at their disposal. You didn't know the slightest things about magic or general statistics of fighting among monsters. 

The fact the anime was paused didn't dawn on you until you felt a gentle hand on your shoulder. Turning to find Alphys looking at you worriedly, you offered a reassuring smile. 

"You okay?"

"Yeah, just thinking is all," you replied honestly with a light shrug of your shoulders.

Her head tilted to the side slightly as she spoke, "About what?"

"I guess magic. I've seen Undyne form her spears and Sans teleport." You paused and add, "How does it all work?"

"Oh, it's a little complicated." She shifted and turned to face you slightly. "Monsters are made up of magic. All monsters are able to harness that energy for various skills and such."

You took a moment to digest this information and brought your legs up to sit cross-legged. "Skills for like combat and stuff?"

"Sometimes. F-fighting is where things get a bit complicated."

"Oh?" You weren't satisfied by the answer fully and wanted her to continue.

"Yeah. You have to initiate an encounter or some people call it an array. F-from there participants take turns doing skills or actions."

"So it's like turn-based video game combat?" It was the only thing you could think of relating to. After a moment you asked, "Why don't you just use skills at will for combat? Taking turns sounds tedious."

"W-well we can use skills outside of a encounter... but they're less energized and weaker."

With a stretch you stood up. You still didn't fully understand how any of this worked, but had a basic concept of it now. Motioning for Alphys to follow, you headed into the kitchen. Grabbing a can of soda for yourself, you stepped back to let her see the contents of the fridge for herself. 

"Hey, how do you start a encounter?" 

Alphys took her soda of choice as she responded, "Y-you have to draw out your soul or your opponent’s if it's not a planned encounter."

"So souls are a legit thing?"

"Uhm, y-yeah," she replied heading back into the living room and setting down on the couch. "I know humans have their own concepts on s-souls. They're a r-real thing though. Every sentient t-thing has a soul."

"That's kind of neat." Plopping down on the couch you cracked open your can of pop. 

She replied simply, "Yeah."

"Can you show me what a encounter is like?"

"You want me to have an e-encounter w-with you?" Alphys shifted and tapped her claws on her own can. "I'm not s-sure."

"Please, Alph? We don't even have to fight right?"

"That's t-true." She seemed lost in thought for a moment before finishing, "I guess we can."

You had to suppress a squeal as she stood up and you followed after her. The two of you shuffled away from the coffee table in fear of bumping into it. 

"Okay, uhm.. j-just stay calm. It might be a little intense at f-first." Alphys focused her gaze on your chest briefly. "You don't know h-how to summon your soul r-right?"

You shook your head in response. "No, is that a thing?"

"That's normal. A human won’t k-know how unless instructed. Unless it's a forced encounter or summon." Her words grew hushed at the end, before she continued. "So I'll h-have to draw out your s-soul, if t-that's okay?"

Giving her a nod, she focused her attention on the area where your heart would be. Alphys lifted her hand, palm up and gingerly began wiggling her index finger in a come here motion. There was no reaction at first, but a sudden pressure formed in your chest. It grew tight and you felt winded. The world around you lost focus and you closed your eyes out of instinct.

As soon as it was there it was gone. The pressure seemed to fizzle with a pop and sharp sensation. Snapping open your eyes you were instantly greeted with a soft glow. There was a anatomically incorrect heart levitating in front of your chest. It swirled with vibrant color and hues, but consistently held a primary shade.

Staring at the bundle of light filled you with emotions you weren’t ready to face. Your innermost thoughts were exposed and emotions threatened to swell past the breaking point. Every woe, guarded memory and feeling was echoed back to you. It was overwhelming and intense; you weren’t sure how to handle any of it. Exhaling shakily you blinked away the mist building in your eyes.

It took a moment to register the lack of surroundings since you were too occupied with the cartoon heart. Your living room had morphed into solid black, and only Alphys remained standing a ways away from you. 

"W-wow you have a really b-bright soul."

You speak up unsure, "Is that good?"

"Yeah, it means y-you have a strong soul."

You get an odd feeling as if you're missing something or should be doing something, but can't place it. You shift awkwardly and realize Alphys is looking at you expectantly.

"Uhm, what do I do?"

"Oh!" She replies and chuckles nervously. "Since we're not f-fighting you can show mercy. Just focus on wanting the encounter to end peacefully."

After some struggling you force yourself to calm down and relax. Letting yourself focus on being back in your room and ending the battle, you watch the darkness shift. The endless black finally vanishes and you find yourself back in your living room. It feels as if something slams into your chest and a warmth over comes you before fading out. Your soul is suddenly gone and you assume back in hiding.

"That was so cool!" You sputter and look towards Alphys. "Thank you for showing me."

"It's no problem." Smiling she shuffles closer and seems to inspect the area where your soul had come from.

"Everything okay?"

"Mhm. You still have some residual magic clinging to you, that's all."

The two of you sat back down on your couch and continued the anime marathon. Hours passed and Alphys had to leave to meet Undyne. You had nearly flew through over half the series and let her borrow the box set to take home. It'd be in good hands; you knew she'd waste no time finishing it up.

Even after she left your mind continued to linger on magic and the new knowledge you'd acquired. When your friend had started the encounter it felt oddly familiar. You couldn't quite place it and spent the remainder of the night unable to shake the feeling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was trying to find a way to make the combat and gaming mechanics of the game make sense in a story situation. So i really hope it makes sense and fits ok. Reader's soul color is up to interpretation so the color itself wont be mentioned at all. Hold on tight for Chapter 10 fam.
> 
> [Star](http://starsmahogany.tumblr.com/) is still hanging in there as my Beta reader. Bless her.


	10. Mess You Had Made

Cracking your eyes open, you squinted at your alarm clock. The bright numerical digits were a bleary contrast against the darkened room. Sleep clouded your vision; it took a moment to adjust properly. It was ten til six, but you didn't need to be up for another hour. You groaned, shuffling onto your other side and shutting your eyes.

Sleep refused to greet you. Your body had adjusted to being awake this early; it wasn’t going to let you change it up. You’d been trying to sleep in later for almost a week now, though it was clearly still a struggle. Rolling onto your back, you were hopeful the change would be more comfortable. Unfortunately, nothing seemed to work and it had become painfully obvious you wouldn't be drifting back off.

There were ways to kill time before you had to leave for work, so it wasn't that bad. Turning off the alarm you had initially set, you got out of bed. Shuffling down the hall, you flipped on the few light switches you passed. You refused to wander about in the dark. There were too many instances of you ramming your poor toes into various objects. After getting something to drink, you turned on your laptop. 

The machine whirred to life and you instantly clicked the familiar icon of Clash of Specters. Once the game loaded, you found yourself in an unfamiliar location. Canyon walls surrounded your character and dust was carried by a strong gust. There were even sound effects for the blustering wind and the only foliage was odd desert-like plants. Before you had a chance to explore properly, a private message popped up in your chat box.

_\-- KissyCutieQueen whispers : Someone is up early. I thought you weren't getting up as early anymore?_  
_\-- You whisper : Yeah, I couldn't get back to sleep after I woke up._  
_\-- KissyCutieQueen : Sorry to hear that. Why aren't you getting up early anyways? Won't you run into your neighbors?_

You blinked at the screen for a moment, fingers paused to rest on your keyboard. Rather then reply, you settled for reorganizing your inventory. There was no true need to hesitate, Alphys wasn’t a judgemental individual. You worried your lip between your teeth as you responded.

_\-- You whisper : Probably. I can handle them though._  
_\-- KissyCutieQueen : Why would you want to though?_  
_\-- You whisper : I mean, I don't want to. There’s just nothing to pass time with in the morning._  
_\-- KissyCutieQueen : I thought you were going to Grillby's though to game?_  
_\-- You whisper : Well I'm not now._  
_\-- You whisper: I mean it was nice there, but I can't just go back._  
_\-- You whisper : I made a legit fool of myself._  
_\-- KissyCutieQueen : Seriously?_  
_\-- You whisper: Yeah._  
_\-- You whisper : How can you face a fire elemental after you flirt with him using a fire pun?_

Alphys was silent and no more replies came. Briefly, you waited for a response, but decided to go ahead and get dressed. You weren't keen on having that conversation and had held off on it as long as possible. One of your friends would've figured it out eventually though. It was no surprise it was Alphys; she was always super intuitive.

Slipping on one of your long sleeved shirts, you finished getting dressed and headed back into the living room. A pair of socks were strewn across the floor and you decided to just wear them. You couldn't find any matching pairs in your drawer anyways. They didn't look terribly bad and might have even been clean.

Shuffling over to the couch you put the socks on. Your gaze flicked to the laptop screen and, sure enough, your reptile friend had responded finally.

_\-- KissyCutieQueen : This is the whole reason you were so adamant about going to that other restaurant._  
_\-- KissyCutieQueen : Wasn't it?_  
_\-- You whisper : Maybe..._  
_\-- KissyCutieQueen : Avoiding Grillby's is silly. He didn't even seem upset at all._  
_\-- You whisper : I don't know? I made things awkward for sure._  
_\-- KissyCutieQueen : Hey, it's okay. Don't worry about it, alright? You didn't do anything serious. Why not apologize if you feel super bad?_  
_\-- You whisper : I guess so... Thanks Alph._  
_\-- You whisper: Gotta head out to work, text you later._

With that parting farewell, you exited the game and promptly shut down your computer. Slipping on your jacket, you shoved your laptop into your purse and headed out the door. You made a point to make sure the door was firmly locked and tried to ignore the crude carvings still etched into the wood. 

As you descended the stairs, one of the women from a few weeks ago was waiting for you in the lobby. Her bobbed hair was perfectly styled, which struck you as a little odd. She looked too dressed up for early morning in an apartment building. Your gazes met and she snickered, her steps heading straight towards you. Her friend wasn't with her, and you weren't having any of her drama.

"Just stay away from me. I'm not in the mood for shit today." You hissed, making your way to the door.

She went to intercept you, but you pushed by roughly, ramming your shoulder into her. The astonished gasp that left her filled you with pride. Your victory was cut short however as she giggled in amusement. Pausing, your fingers twitched on the door handle.

"You better get in the mood then, cunt," she spoke up, shoving at your back and forcing you out the door. "There's plenty of shit for you to deal with now."

Clenching your jaw, you spun around with a fist pulled back. Movement to your right caught your attention though. There was a group of apartment tenants loitering off to the side. There were only four of them, but they rose and looked at you intimidatingly. Shrinking back, you spit in the woman's direction and turned to head to the parking lot.

"I hope you like walking, bitch!" Male vocals echoed, but you didn't place his context until you caught sight of your car.

The noise that left you was a mixture of a gasp and whimper. You approached the Pontiac and took in the mess. There was a gaping hole in the windshield where they had broken the glass. Cracks ran along the entirety of the windshield and the front passenger window was completely shattered.

You ran a hand along the side of the car, trailing grooves and scratches through the paint. Some appeared done by keys, but others you weren't so positive of. They looked too deep. As you slowly circled the car, it became clear every tire was slashed and unusable. Your brake lights were even smashed and broken in, and graffiti was spray painted on the entirety of the car.

Breathing in a shaky sob, you fumbled with your keys to unlock the door. Using your key was pointless, however, as the doors were already unlocked. You swung open the driver's side door and assessed the inside damage. They'd wrecked the interior as well. Your seats had gashes and the glove box was barely hanging on. There was some sort of sickly dark liquid splashed all over the place, and you avoided touching it.

"Look man, I think she's going to cry!" The words were followed by laughter.

"Let's see the waterworks, monster fucker." Another male hollered.

The uproar of laughter and taunts were muffled by the insistent throbbing of your heart. Blood pulsed in your ears and, without thinking, you took off down the sidewalk. This couldn't be happening. You hadn't expected them to be so brazen and escalate things this far. If they were bold enough to wreck your Pontiac, what else could they do?

Your surroundings were a blur as you turned sharply around corners, fleeing in panic. They weren't chasing you though. So what were you running from? Something compelled you to continue forward; urged you to get as far as you could. 

You felt the curious stares and heard the murmurs of a passerby that you sped past. Maybe they'd think you were crazy? Surely everyone you blurred by was judging you. You probably looked awful. Their gazes scrutinized you as you pushed by them in a cluster of panic. 

A great deal of attention was focused on you. It was something you desperately wanted to avoid, especially from strangers. You couldn't have it. Your legs nearly buckled as you abruptly slowed into a brisk walk. Inhaling sharply and holding your breath, you tried to tune out everyone around you. You only had one focus; to get away and find somewhere safe.

With your pace slowed, you finally took in your surroundings. You had traveled a considerable distance. As if on instinct you found yourself on a familiar street. Even in your haze of anxiety and worry, you had instinctively sought out the place that had brought you comfort. Grillby's was across the street, a little ways down. 

It didn't take long before you found yourself standing in front of Grillby's door. Your fingers trembled before you rested them on the wood surface. Before opening the door you hesitated to take in the radiating heat. The door was unlocked, just as it always had been when you visited in the early mornings.Grillby gave off a soft glow in the dim lighting.

The sound of the door caught the fire elemental's attention.. Grillby seemed genuinely surprised to see you as he looked up. His flames seemed to brighten upon your entrance, head dipping in greeting. The monster put away a glass he had been cleaning off with a rag when you sat down at the bar.

All of your senses seemed to go into overdrive. Everything grew intense and nothing went unnoticed. You had to put thought into each breath; the automatic process was now somehow manual. Worry began to set in and claw at you instantly. What if you were breathing too fast? Should you try to breathe slower? Deciding to do just that, you focused too hard on steadying your breath. When had you started being so oxygen deprived?

Your name being spoken tugged you from your thoughts. Upon him asking if you were okay, every facade you had struggled to keep hold of shattered. The barely kept composure seemed to evaporate, leaving you vulnerable. You weren't aware you had begun crying until you felt tears trailing down your cheeks.

Ashamed in your own weakness, you buried your face into your arms. It was a desperate attempt at hiding when you began to sob. Your nails dug into your palms because you had your fists clenched tightly. It was only a car. You were acting so stupid over a car, that was insane. Right? There were a ton of cars, you could always get a new one... eventually.

Grillby remained silent, the faint crackle of his fire alerting you of his continued presence. You expected him to pry, but no inquiry came. The residual warmth from his form however, never moved. The monster waited patiently and you appreciated that. It was easier to calm down when you weren't fretting over explaining yourself. You weren't certain you could have even coherently explained anything.

There was a gradual warmth enveloping you that you became vaguely aware of. The feeling wasn't overpowering or unpleasant, but much like the gentle beams of the sun. It was if it caressed your very being, bringing a lightness to your inner turmoil. Eventually your sobs quieted, ceasing altogether. The feeling was comforting and your distress began to ebb away. Something told you everything would be okay. You could make it through this.

You weren't sure how long you had your face hidden away, but it was getting far too stuffy. Slowly you lifted your head, sniffling as you blinked at the fire elemental. There was a smudge of black on your hand after you rubbed your eye. You'd forgotten about your makeup. Grillby handed you a tissue and you dabbed it at your eyes, hoping to right whatever mess you had made. 

"They w-wrecked my car." You were the first to speak, voice uneven and cracked.

Grilbly replied, "Who?"

"My neighbors."

For being a being on fire with no distinct facial features, you knew he was concerned by the slight crease on his forehead. His flames shifted unevenly, joined by a long sigh. A hand was placed gingerly on your shoulder.

"Is it usable anymore?"

"No," you paused before adding, "I don't think so."

"I'm sorry you have to deal with this." It appeared as if Grillby had more to say, but decided to hold back.

You decided to check your phone to distract yourself once the silence lingered. It was nine o'clock and already an hour into your shift at work. You'd have to call, but weren't looking forward to the trouble you'd undoubtedly be in. You didn't feel like dealing with your employers, instead deciding to let your friends know what was going on.

**\-- to Alphys 9:05 am --**  
_My car is trashed. The neighbors completely ruined it._

**\-- to Alphys 9:06 am --**  
_I'm not sure what I should do._

"Can I possibly do anything to help?" The offer was gentle and you gave a slight smile. 

"Some water, please?"

Grillby seemed to hesitate a moment, but nodded all the same. It wasn't until he dipped through the back door, you realized your request. You had literally asked a monster made of fire to get you a drink of water. What if he accidentally got some on himself? That brought you to the question of how he washed dishes, and more importantly, if he was alright.

He returned and sat down a sealed bottle of water and a chilled glass with ice cubes. It was a relief to see him unharmed. Using bottled water was a good idea, though you still felt silly for requesting such a thing of him.

"Thanks," you spoke up, before adding, "Uhm, sorry."

His head tilted to the side quizzically as he responded, "For what?"

"The, uhm..." You opened the bottle and continued finally, "The water."

He seemed confused before your words fully sunk in. His flames danced and crackled with amusement. What you weren't expecting was chuckling. The noise was new, you had never heard the fire elemental actually laugh before. You found you enjoyed his laugh.

"It's quite alright," he replied.

Your phone continuously vibrated from within your jean pocket, and you fished it out. Alphys had texted you back.

**\-- from Alphys 9:23 am --**  
_omg_

**\-- from Alphys 9:23 am --**  
_are you ok???_

**\-- from Alphys 9:24 am --**  
_Sorry I didn't see this earlier. My phone was charging._

**\-- from Alphys 9:25 am --**  
_Where are you?_

**\-- to Alphys 9:27 am --**  
_I'm ok. I’m at Grillby's._

There was no instant reply. The decision was made to let your phone rest idly on the bar top. You poured the water into the glass and took a drink. It was crisp, soothing your raw and scratchy throat. As you set the glass down, you decided you had other things to apologize for as well.

"I'm also sorry for getting drunk," you paused and hurriedly added, "and calling you hot."

Grillby's flames danced, seeming to grow more than usual. He was watching you, gaze intrigued. You found yourself averting your focus away from the intensity. The countertop to the right of you had suddenly become very interesting, your gaze locked onto it.

"You're not the first person or monster to get drunk here." Grillby continued, "Being one of my best patrons earns some leeway anyways."

At his words you lifted your gaze to find the area around his cheeks a brighter shade of yellow. This was the second time this had occurred with you there to witness it. It was intriguing, and heightened your curiosity. Now that you thought of it, his eyes were white, much like the very tip of a flame. Maybe that area was hotter than the rest? The pieces pulled together in your mind to form a conclusion. He was blushing or flustered.

He replied to the second part of your apology, drawing you from your musings. His tone was smooth and laced with smoky undertones. "I didn't mind it."

You held his gaze for a moment and could feel your own cheeks growing warmer. Eventually you shifted your eyes elsewhere. A coy smile found its way on your features as you absently took a drink of your water. You definitely hadn't expected any of that.

After a comfortable silence had fallen between you two, Grillby decided to start prepping for opening. There was quite a bit to do, but the fire elemental flitted around seamlessly with his tasks. You offered to help, but of course he wasn't going to let you. He appreciated the offer all the same. You settled for simply resting, lingering in the warmth you had grown accustomed too.

Recollection of the vandalism was always battling to get to the forefront of your mind. When your thoughts began to sink to a darker realm, Grillby seemed to sense it. He would wander over and talk with you. It was a welcomed and very much appreciated distraction.

Eventually Alphys arrived, shuffling into Grillby's noisily. You turned to look at her, and the reptile monster hesitated at the door. Her eyes drifted to Grillby who she seemed to be carefully assessing. A look of disbelief flashed over her features momentarily, though it was quickly pushed away. When her attention landed on you, she made her way over with haste.

"Oh g-goodness, are y-you ok?" She spoke, wrapping her arms around you in a hug.

You responded softly, "I'll be ok. My car won't be though."

"How b-bad was it?"

You went into the depths of your morning, describing the mess your car had become. Grillby listened in as well with Alphys, there to comfort you. A gentle clawed hand was placed on your back when you started to fret over the state of things. The presence of your friend helped greatly and you didn't push her away when she gave you another hug. 

Alphys coaxed you into the idea of coming over to Undyne's house to work through this. You agreed, recalling you still had to call your manager and get the police involved. Before you left you thanked Grillby, who insisted it wasn't a bother and a thanks wasn't needed. You left the bar with your friend, ready to sort through the mess presented to you. The gentle, tingling warmth from the bar lingered with you for a time, even after you left.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hadn't expected to take this long on a chapter or have this much of a wait between a chapter. Super sorry for making you guys wait so long, a lot of personal things cropped up. Thank you for being patient and sticking with the story.
> 
> Every comment, kudo, bookmark and general interest makes my day. I really appreciate it and every single one of you. Thankyou for continuing to read and allowing me to be creative. I may not reply to every comment, but i always squeal when I see a new one. It's really hard for me to come up with things to say sometimes. So it's not that i'm ignoring comments, I'm just super awkward and sometimes socially inept. 
> 
> Had help from my bromingos [Maltose](http://jelliedscrib.deviantart.com/) and [Silver](http://xksilver.deviantart.com/) this chapter. Thank you for Beta'ing for me. <3


	11. Prepared to Punch Things

In a desperate attempt to warm your nose, you cupped your hands and blew out a huff of air. The relief was brief. It did little to make the sting from the cold vanish though. Letting out a sigh, you watched your breath turn into a puff of white. You couldn't keep your eyes away from your car across the street. There was a cop circling it with a clipboard of some kind.

"Those good for nothing... Ugh." Undyne groaned, rubbing at her face. "Why didn't you call the police right away anyways?"

You shrugged down and replied, "I'm not sure. I guess I just sort of panicked."

"You didn't have to though. Man, you have a ton of magic radiating off of you. I'm sure they would've sensed it and backed off."

You furrowed your brows, shifting on the bench to better face Undyne. "What?"

Alphys spoke up, "H-humans don't sense magic t-the way we do." 

"I guess that's true," Undyne replied, falling silent.

Before you could question further, the police officer stepped outside of the apartment complex. He looked around momentarily until spotting you and your friends. The sight of him approaching was a relief, but also anxiety ridden. You wanted to settle this mess, but another part of you was scared.

"Miss _____?"

You rose off the bench and looked at him. "Uhm, yes?" 

As if sensing your anxiety, both of your friends rose as well, each of them flanking either side of you. Undyne stood rather protectively and Alphys had a hand gently resting on your shoulder. They cared about you so much; that thought brought you a warm, fuzzy feeling. You had such amazing friends.

The cop didn't seem bothered by your friends and continued, "It appears that the security cameras were out last night for maintenance."

"Are you serious?" Undyne practically hissed out.

"I'm afraid so." The man slouched as he looked at you. "We've taken statements from a few individuals, so we may have some leads-"

His words were interrupted by Undyne. "Some leads? She told you she's being bothered by other tenants. It's not a coincidence her car got vandalized after they threatened her."

He visibly tensed at this. He then responded, "As I said, we've taken statements. We've spoken to the individuals in question."

Before the officer had more to say, you inquired. "Can I get a copy of the reports too?"

The other police officer had walked over during the conversation. You'd been too wrapped up in the cop's words to pay attention properly. Hopefully with the report you'd be able to file for harassment if the neighbors continued. This wasn't going as horrible a you anticipated, but it definitely wasn't all that great either. You agreed with Undyne, it was too sketchy that there happened to be maintenance on the night your Pontiac was vandalized.

"Of course. They'll be sent to you through the mail."

You gave a satisfied nod. "Alright, thank you."

A little more was said before the officers left, leaving you and your friends standing outside your apartment complex. It was cold, so you three went inside despite your inner protests. You wanted as far as possible from the other tenants. Surprisingly no one said anything to you or your friends. You did however, get quite the heated glare from one of the men that'd been there in the morning.

Undyne and Alphys took over your couch, absently going through your dvds. You on the other hand were busy getting in contact with your insurance company. The most frustrating part was being placed on hold while being transferred to the right people. By the time you were able to finally talk with someone properly, you were exasperated.

With all the recent issues among monsters, the insurance company was backed up with requests and cases. However, they assured you would more then likely be reimbursed to an extent. Nothing could fully be determined until someone came over to look into it. An appointment was made for someone to check things out. They'd also be mailing you some forms to get filled out.

By the time you were off the phone an hour had passed. A persistent headache was beginning to form. You hated stress. After taking some medicine, you ungracefully fell onto your loveseat. Your head tipped back against the back cushion, and you let your eyes close briefly.

Alphys spoke up tentatively, "Is e-everything ok?" 

"With the headache aside, yeah."

"So what did they say?" Undyne inquired after a moment of silence.

"Someone will be out Tuesday to look at the car; see if I can be reimbursed."

"Well that's g-good. I hope they d-do something to help."

"Me too," you added softly.

You weren't sure what to do now. The events of the morning were still heavy on your mind. The thought of even being home wasn't settling right with you. You didn't feel safe here anymore. There was also the ordeal of finding a way to work in the mornings. Your mind had no trouble venturing to darker recesses, and souring your mood further. When Undyne suggested going back to her house to hang out, you eagerly jumped on the idea.

Undyne didn't mind giving you a ride, though was insistent Alphys always rode shotgun. You were fine with that until you actually saw the backseats of Undyne's truck. It was cramped with all sorts of clutter strewn about. Most of it was clothes with manga spread out over the seat. You chuckled and nudged the books out of the way so you could sit down.

The aquatic monster didn't live far. Her house was actually much closer to yours than Alphys'. Hayfield was a town that separated Echodale and Ebott Village. It was more of a borough than a town honestly. Hayfield was neither monster nor human dominated, housing both equally. There were still incidents and disputes, but it was a lot more calm compared to the other surrounding areas. Most monsters that didn't settle in Ebott Village branched out here.

As the truck pulled into the driveway, you noticed the blackened patch of siding on the side of her house. You leaned forward to tap Alphys on the shoulder, motioning to the spot curiously. It looked burned or almost charred. It definitely wasn't like that the last time you visited. 

"Hmm?" Alphys turned to you before following your gaze. "Oh! There was an incident in her kitchen and it sort of... burned the siding of her house?"

"An incident?" You inquired, slipping out of the truck once the door was opened. 

"Yeah. Well you see-"

Her words were cut off by Undyne abruptly. "It was a rad incident that was totally planned!" 

She crossed her arms as she locked the truck.

"What happened?"

"Papyrus was having a cooking lesson. It was a test to see how he handled fire and pressure." She paused before adding, “All of it was definitely planned.”

You were disbelieving, but replied with a chuckle. "Alright then."

Undyne unlocked the front door, and you trailed after her. You shuffled inside, discarding your shoes on the mat next to the door. The living room was nicely sized. There was enough room for multiple people to loiter comfortably, which made Undyne's house perfect for hanging out.

After being tense all morning, you felt drained. The black couch was beckoning you, and you didn't resist it. Settling down on the couch, you practically sunk into the well used cushions. Alphys went into the kitchen to get snacks while Undyne was chattering away excitedly on the phone. Even from the slight distance you could make out Papyrus' loud vocals through the receiver.

"Hey." Undyne peered over the back of the couch at you. "You better be ready for some serious fun tonight."

You arched a brow questioningly and spoke, "What sort of fun?"

"The kind that pertains to beating a ton of hard dungeons, duh." She grinned, pulling herself up and over the couch to flop next to you. 

"Oh, sweet."

Your lack of enthusiasm wasn't lost on the aquatic monster. She frowned, setting a hand on your back in an attempt to comfort you. Doing a dungeon with your friends would be nice, but the idea of gaming wasn't on the forefront of your mind. You had a lot of things running rampant in your thoughts..

"Are you okay?" Undyne asked gently.

"I'm not sure," you admitted. "I have so much shit to think about. How am I going to get around now? What if my neighbors won't stop?"

"Woah there bud." your friend gave your shoulder a pat. "Things will turn out ok."

"How do you know that though?" 

"Well," Undyne began, "I can always give you a lift to work? It's not out of the way at all."

You looked to her and piped up, "I can't let you do that though."

Groaning, she replied, "Why not?"

"The insurance company said they were backed up. It could take weeks."

"Dude," Reaching to prod at your shoulder, she continued, "If it makes you feel better, you can pay for gas."

You hadn't noticed Alphys enter the room until she spoke, "I can always help with rides too."

Your thoughts began to settle as your uncertainty morphed into relief. Their offer was generous and very much needed. Without your car you'd probably have to walk, but it was nearing late January. Your dash in the frigid air this morning was unpleasant; the weather was only getting worse. Snow fell more frequently and the wind held a constant bite of cold.

Your friends would be saving you a lot of trouble. They really were amazing. Tears began to blur your vision and you blinked them away. Both of your friends noted the change, giving you a hug when you thanked them.

A few episodes of an anime called Attack on Titan was watched before there was a knock on the door. As soon as it was opened, Papyrus bustled inside with a tupperware container in his arms. You couldn't linger long on the container’s contents as Papyrus was bombarding you with questions. You explained the basics of your morning incident as Sans silently slipped inside after his brother.

"FRET NOT, I HAVE BROUGHT SUITABLE SNACKS TO HELP EASE YOUR OBVIOUSLY TROUBLED MIND."

The container was thrust into your hands as you replied, "Thanks. You always know how to take good care of me."

Papyrus grinned, vocals loud when he spoke, "IT ISN'T A PROBLEM AT ALL. NO THANKS IS NEEDED, BUT YOU'RE VERY MUCH WELCOMED. ALSO BEING A PROPER FRIEND, I'VE DECIDED YOU SHOULD BE TRAINED UNDER A ROYAL GUARDSMEN!"

"Oh?"

During the midst of this conversation, Undyne had jumped to join Papyrus. Her hands were placed on her hips, which the lanky skeleton quickly mocked. Upon the conversation, you did your best to figure out subtly what was in the container. It was warm, but you could see lettuce inside. There was also some type of red sauce... Weird.

"INDEED. UNDYNE AND MYSELF HAVE COME UP WITH A REGIMENT FOR YOU. BEING PRESTIGIOUS MEMBERS OF THE GUARD, IT IS OUR DUTY TO MAKE SURE ONE OF OUR CLOSEST FRIENDS IS SAFE."

"So next time those assholes mess with you, you'll be ready to handle 'em!" Undyne shoved a fist into her other hand for emphasis.

"Oh man, that's really awesome," you began, unable to keep from smiling at how endearing this was. "I don't know much about magic though... Humans don't have magic like monsters do."

Undyne looked at you and deadpanned, "Duh. It's not solely about magic, you need to be prepared to punch things."

"THE CURRICULUM WE EXPERTLY PLANNED FOR YOU IS PRIMARILY PHYSICAL BASED, SO NO MAGIC IS REQUIRED."

"Well, I guess it wouldn't hurt anything."

"OF COURSE!" Papyrus continued "YOUR MUSCLES MIGHT BE SORE AFTERWARDS THOUGH FROM SUCH INTENSE TRAINING. I DO NOT WISH TO ALARM YOU, BUT YOU DO NOT APPEAR TO BE THE MOST PHYSICALLY FIT FOR BATTLE. TRAINING MAY BE TEDIOUS."

"That's a good thing though." The aquatic monster leaned over and gently shoved your shoulder. "If it burns it means it's working."

By this point, Alphys had peered over the back of the couch where Sans was now lounging as well. She adjusted her glasses and glanced between the three of you.

"W-well over working muscles can do more harm than good." She explained, "However I feel if done within reason training could be beneficial for you."

Ultimately you reasoned it’d be a good experience. It probably wouldn’t hurt to know a little more about fighting just incase something did crop up. However, you really hoped that wouldn’t be the case. You’d get to see how Undyne trained and possibly learn some interesting things about the Royal Guard, so that was always a plus.

Eventually everyone gathered around in the living room and the gaming night commenced. Papyrus was adamant about using his desktop computer, so it was no surprise Sans brought the entire computer via teleportation. It didn’t take long to hook it up in the corner of the room using a mashup of boxes for a desk. The lanky skeleton looked comical hunching over to use it properly, but he was happy. Everyone else was content with laptops and commandeered the couch and recliners.

As Clash of Specters loaded, strategies were made. With only five party members, you couldn’t simply run through a dungeon. You’d need to form plans and basic concepts for the run. The max amount of player slots in a party was six, so you had a empty place in the team. Successful parties were possible with less than six of course if the main roles were filled. 

Any good team needed a tank, healers, and damage output of some kind. There was also a pulling job where someone drew the enemies attention and ‘pulled’ them to your group. One of the damage dealers could pick up that role, and Papyrus was willing to do it. Undyne was always the tank. She kept the aggro from the mob of enemies off of the rest of the team. Being a cleric, you were in charge of healing your teammates and giving them buffs. Sans was your partner as a bard, however his focus was buffing everyone and keeping their mana up. The last damage output was Alphys.

The dungeon began smoothly as you guided your avatar down the corridors with your friends. Lower leveled enemies weren’t a challenge for your party at all. A few of the puzzles got you stuck, but Papyrus was always quick to solve them. Eventually, your group made it to the first of the dungeon’s bosses. 

You sighed, “Dude, you need to keep the buffs up.” 

“sorry, i guess games still aren’t really my _forte_.” 

Glancing over, you saw Sans leaning back relaxed. His hands rested at his sides as blue magic skimmed over his keyboard. That explained quite a lot actually with previous experiences gaming with him. Now you knew how he managed to multitask so well during Skype calls.

You cast a healing spell on Alphys and spoke up, “I don’t really appreciate how you _conduct_ your business.”

Sans snorted and grinned. “no need to _harp_ about it.”

The night progressed with gaming antics. Everything went relatively smoothly with a few more dungeon runs; the party only got wiped out once. The failure wasn’t particularly anyone’s fault, but simply a fluke with the enemies respawning too fast while Undyne repaired her armor.

Even as the evening drew to a close, you remained content. The woes you had clung to earlier were forgotten. As you settled down on Undyne’s couch to watch a movie, your mind was at ease. You were able to doze off only a little bit into the movie. Your friends let you rest soundly and the impromptu sleepover drew to a end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some more gaming terms are used, so please let me know if any clarification should be added to the notes for any of them. This definitely isn't the last instance of them all hanging out to game together with their computers. Trust me. xD Also what's in the container that Paps brought? I'll leave it up to you, it doesn't sound very appetizing, but hey you never know. 
> 
> Fun fact, I lost internet for about two weeks. That was lame and it's back now... but during that time I wrote up a lot. So after I get some proofreading done expect some pretty fast updates. My friend and usual beta Star is MIA right now, so I've had help from some friends with it. They've been a blessing.
> 
> Thank you [Silver](http://xksilver.deviantart.com/) for proof-reading for me! <3
> 
>  _Edit:_ Whoops fixed the weird paragraph spacing.


	12. Welcome to Tag Along

As your consciousness drifted on the verge of sleep, you were vaguely aware of the show playing on the television. The last couple hours you’d taken over Alphys’ couch. It had been a long morning at work; finding yourself drained by the time your shift ended. Undyne picked you up not a minute late and dropped you off at your friend's house.

Returning to your own apartment wasn't a priority so you’d spent the last few days at Alphys’. You didn't feel safe at the apartment complex. Something was most certainly going on with the security staff and tenants. After getting a new car, moving out was your next goal. It would more then likely take you a decent chunk of time to afford it though.

Upon hearing the front door click open, you buried your head into one of the plush throw pillows. You hoped to grab a few more moments of rest as you wrapped an arm around the pillow. You were still tired, but it seemed things weren't completely in your favor. Alphys could be heard shuffling about, most likely dropping her things onto the nearby recliner. You knew she'd never wake you on purpose though. Sitting up, you stretched and blinked at the monster.

"S-sorry if I woke you."

"It's okay, I was awake anyways." You replied, scratching at your head.

"Oh. Okay then." Alphys seemed relieved and proceeded, "W-well since you're awake would you like to go to the mall?"

"For what?" You inquired, interest peaked.

"Perhaps we could rent a newer movie? I know there's a few we haven't seen yet."

Your memories drifted back to the past movie night you had shared with your group. Undyne had ended up dousing all the popcorn in hot sauce and butter. There was also the issue of Sans falling asleep. The last time you'd spent the entire movie with his elbow jabbed into your side. It'd been trouble trying to wake him too. In the end he was simply left in place, falling over once you squirmed away. He remained sleeping where he was and you were forced on the floor.

"As long as Undyne isn't in charge of the popcorn." You responded finally, fully awake now.

Alphys giggled and nodded. "Sounds good to me."

"Also, if the bone bros are coming," you began, "I'm not sitting by Sans again either."

After making sure you didn't look a mess, you headed out with Alphys. The drive was short, though neither of you failed to sing along with a few songs on the radio. The air was frigid, biting at your exposed face hungrily. Desperate to escape the cold, you and Alphys made haste inside. 

Things were relatively calm at the mall. People were finishing their shopping and clusters of adolescents loitered about. It was a pretty typical day for the end of the weekend. Alphys wanted to look at the bookstore so you volunteered to get the movies. After a discussion of what was wanted, you separated.

It was nice having a movie rental place in the mall. The last place had closed down a few years ago. It was sad watching it go as it'd been something from your childhood. You'd go in there weekly with your family and pick out movies. There were new movies, but also the same old worn ones you called favorites. You still sort of missed it.

Stepping into the store, you headed over to the children section. There was a cute cartoon about animals or something that was Papyrus' pick. You liked animated films so you'd happily watch it with the group. After spotting the movie in question you grabbed and moved along. It wasn't hard to find the other movie as it was newer.

Your task was done, but you wandered down the aisle scoping out other potential movies. There were some newer ones Netflix didn't have yet that you wanted to see. Your gaze was locked onto the titles as you walked. The figure in your direct path wasn't noticed until you bumped into him. 

Hurriedly jumping back, you apologized, "I'm super sorry."

Looking up, you locked gazes with a pair of white eyes mostly hidden behind glasses. Familiar flames crackled and you chuckled lightly in your awkwardness. It was different seeing him outside of the bar; usual bartender attire swapped for something more casual. You wondered if the coat and scarf were truly needed. Could a fire elemental get cold? His flames wavered, clearly he was just as surprised to see you.

Low vocals responded, "It's quite alright."

"Movie hunting?"

Out of habit you began to mess with the sleeves of your jacket. Your question had been ridiculous. Of course he was looking for movies. Why else would he be in a movie rental store? You nearly scolded yourself for the sudden social ineptness. 

Grillby nodded in response, falling silent. He glanced at the movies in your own hand briefly. The fire elemental shifted his posture, turning to skim the nearby movies.

"Same here," you chuckled, "It's not a very exciting hunt though."

He tilted his head, seemingly curious as you held up the movies in your hands.

"Alphys decided we'd have a movie night with the gang, so they're not really my picks."

You took a few steps down the aisle and glanced at a few movies. The aisle was focused primarily on action and superhero movies, neither you really enjoyed watching. It was no surprise nothing caught your interest.

"I'm more of a horror movie fan myself," you piped.

As you began a slow walk down to the end of the aisle, Grillby eventually tagged after you. Part of you was pleased at the idea that the conversation had snagged his interest. It was nice talking to the man, even if conversations were one-sided at times. His presence was always welcomed and the warmth he gave off was pleasant as usual.

You continued, "We'd watch a scary one if it were up to me." you paused, brows furrowed slightly in thought. "Actually, I wouldn't want to scare Papyrus."

Grillby was silent, but nodded in response. His flames crackled softly as you drifted down the next aisle. You skimmed over titles, lingering on a few you were curious about. There were so many scary ones that snagged your interest. Your mental list was getting long. As you came to a newly released horror movie, you paused. Absently you grabbed the case and begin skimming over the back of it.

"I'm so tempted to rent this one but," You mused out loud, "I don't like watching scary movies alone."

The fire elemental gazed at you, his head tilting to the side questioningly. He seemed to do that a lot when he was curious. It was a nice cue that was easily understandable. Even in his silence you were able to communicate with ease.

"They're fun to watch," you giggled with your admittance. "I just... don't like watching them alone."

You ducked your head awkwardly, placing the movie case back on the shelf. It was quite the contradiction. Why watch something that scared you? Horror movies were interesting and always suspenseful. The plots were usually pretty good and you enjoyed the thrill. Being alone after watching them though wasn't fun. You'd scare yourself with paranoia. Having someone else there with you helped keep you grounded.

Hushed, deep vocals spoke up, "I agree, they're difficult to watch solo."

You chuckled relieved, "I'm super glad I'm not the only one."

Eventually you made your way around the store, speaking up occasionally about certain movies. Grillby picked out some sort of science fiction one you hadn't seen before. Leaning over, you peered at it curiously. The cover for it looked interesting enough. Perhaps you'd check it out sometime.

As you paid for the movies, you realized the conversation would be coming to a close. You frowned at the thought, glancing at the fire elemental. Grillby was friendly and pleasant to talk with. It was hard to deny at this point you enjoyed his company too.

Watching as he checked out, you fiddled with the plastic bag in your hand. Swinging it absently, you tried to come to some sort of conclusion. As if on cue your stomach growled. You flinched at the noise, hoping it wasn't audible. It had been heard however as he glanced at you. You puffed air in your cheeks, exhaling it awkwardly.

"Well, guess my stomach's angry at me for taking so long in here." You chuckled, "I'm supposed to meet Alphys back at the food court."

Grillby took his own bag and watched you for a moment. His fire popped in the silence as he contemplated something.

"You're welcome to tag along if you like," you offered before adding, "I mean if you didn't already eat that is."

"Thankyou, I'd like that." he replied softly, his flames flickering in amusement. "I wouldn't want my stomach to get angry with me."

You grinned, unable to contain your giggles. "Yeah, it's not a fun thing to deal with."

"Agreed."

When you reached the food court, Alphys was already sitting at a table. She was munching on fries while reading through a manga book. It was clearly new with its other new counterparts residing in a large bag next to her feet. At your approach she lifted her gaze to you. She clearly hadn't expected the extra company.

"H-hi Grillby," she spoke up, words uneven. 

He waved briefly in response as you piped up, "I got all the movies."

"T-that's awesome. I'm g-glad you found t-them ok."

You were the last to return to the table with your food. Sitting down between the two monsters, you munched on your macaroni and cheese bites. Plans for the movie night were discussed, however the conversation shifted to Clash of Specters. What surprised you was Grillby's interest in the game. He listened patiently and occasionally joined in with inquires.

A silent curiosity of yours had been fulfilled upon Grillby actually eating. You hadn't seen a mouth as far as you could tell up to this point. Eventually you assumed he didn't have one and drew up the vague answer of magic. However as he picked up a fry, you watched as a mouth formed. The flames where his mouth would be on a human parted. The edges were slightly jagged, though seemed to flicker. 

"Did you ever help the farmer get his goods?"

"Hmm?" You tilted your head to the side, prompting him further.

Grillby continued with a chuckle. "From the evil mushrooms."

"Oh!" Nodding, you replied, "Yeah, I managed to finish that quest."

"You m-mean the o-one in Foggy Peak?" Alphys inquired.

"Yeah, the one we had to help Sans with."

Your macaroni and cheese bites were wiped out. Everyone at the table was in a similar state and essentially done with their food. No one seemed to be in a rush to leave though. As you and Alphys answered Grillby's increasing questions about the game, you couldn't help but glance at him. His mouth remained visible for some time, outlined in white and yellow when closed. Your gaze didn't linger long, averting quickly when he looked at you. It was rude to stare, but you were curious. All sorts of questions began to crop up. What could he eat? Where did it go when he consumed anything? Of Course, you'd never be so forward to voice these questions.

"So the game is free?"

"Y-yes, it's f-ree to play. There's a option to b-buy special items in a cash shop, but it's not m-mandatory."

"Interesting." Grillby responded.

Alphys continued, "It's not h-hard to register, you just go to the site and s-sign up. Then you go to d-download the game. It'll install and you'll l-load up the p-patcher."

He looked confused with your reptile friend overwhelming him with the explanation. Would Grillby really play Clash of Specters? You never saw the man as a gamer, but it'd be nice to have someone else to play it with. He could participate in all the dungeon raids and maybe join the guild. You could show him all your favorite areas too. If Alphys continued you feared she'd scare him away from the idea of playing.

"It's not as hard as it sounds," you assured with a smile "If you want you can text me any questions and i'll help you through it."

Grillby still seemed skeptical despite your assurance, but relieved at the offered help. His shoulders relaxed as he nodded. You dug out your phone to exchange numbers. It didn't take you long to realize the time on your phone. Undyne would be off work soon and prepping for the movie night. She was always super enthusiastic when it came to these sort of things.

After a little more idle chatter, you parted ways. You and Alphys went back to her house. Your gaze shifted to the new contact in your phone as you listened to Undyne boisterously mess around in the kitchen. You'd be lying if you said you weren't a little bit anxious to have him game with you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So there's probably a handful of mistakes in this chapter and I apologize. I hope they weren't super distracting, I tried to catch and fix everything I could. As I said previous chapter, my usual Beta has been MIA sort of. I don't really want to repeatedly bother my friends to proofread either. So, there's no outside proof reading aside from myself. 
> 
> I've had this chapter done for a week and felt really bad making you guys wait a super long time for me to sort things out with a Beta. With the previous lapse in updates, I just really wanted to get this out for all of you and progress the story. I'll get this proof read as soon as I can, but I hope it's tolerable for now. Commas and typos are my worst enemies, oh goodness. (I'll edit the notes when it is proof read properly)
> 
> But hey, on a good note you and the Grillbae exchanged numbers. Sweet. ouo


	13. Mad Beast Muscles

Each intake of breath brought a chill directly to your lungs. You had to mentally remind yourself to breath through your nose. You wanted to avoid the burning feeling that had temporarily constricted your chest. The wind was harsh on your face since your hood had fallen down during the run. You had no idea why Undyne was so pressed to have you do a lap in the middle of winter. However, here you were enduring the cold for your friend. She had said it was for your own benefit.

It was a nice opportunity to check out the school in Ebott Village though. The Queen of monsters had been insistent on proper education for monster children. There was a lot of controversy initially, but eventually a new school was built. The new school was a lot nicer than the other available schools once it was finished. A lot of human children were enrolled as well as monster children.

Viewing the school was hard while you were running the entire border of the football field. Touring had never been on the agenda, so you didn't complain. If anything was worth complaining about it was the burning ache that had settled along the back of your calves. You pushed through it, with the end in sight.

Papyrus and Undyne were both waiting for you. The aquatic monster was busy glaring down at what looked like a stopwatch. Her gaze shifted between the device and you. Once Undyne realized you were speeding towards them, she grinned. She flexed in the air and shouted something that was probably encouraging in your direction. The lanky skeleton had become more like a personal cheerleader. He was still adorned in his usual 'battle armor', but a pair of pom-poms was being flailed about wildly in the air. 

"YOU CAN DO IT! I BELIEVE IN YOU!" He boomed.

Undyne followed, "Yeah!" the single word was drawn out enthusiastically as she flexed her arms.

"YOU ALMOST REACHED A QUARTER OF MY OWN RECORD!" Papyrus continued, "THAT IS HIGHLY IMPRESSIVE!"

"Yeah! Yeah! You got this dude!"

As you reached your friends, you slowed. Leaning over to rest your hands on your thighs, you struggled to catch your breath. Your lungs burned, and your heart continued to thud loudly. In a strange way though, you felt rejuvenated. Running the entire perimeter of a football field was the most exercise you had in quite a while. You were tired, but in no way ready to give up. It was pretty enthralling being able to push yourself a little. Maybe it really would do some good for you.

"Not too bad." Undyne practically shoved the stopwatch in your face to show your time.

"YOU DID VERY WELL FOR HUMAN STANDARDS! WITH FURTHER TRAINING I KNOW YOU CAN DO EVEN BETTER!" 

The pom-poms had been flung to the ground as Papyrus scooped you up into a hug. You were pressed tightly against his armor. You let out a wheeze and patted his back. Instead of letting you go, he lifted you off the ground, carrying you towards a set of benches.

"I AM VERY PROUD OF YOU. AS A HUMAN HOWEVER, YOU NEED TO REST AND RECOUP."

After being released and plopped down on the bench, you inhaled graciously. You couldn't help but grin as Papyrus flexed proudly before sitting down.

You chuckled, "Thanks Paps."

"IT'S NOT A PROBLEM. YOUR WELL BEING IS IN MY BEST INTEREST SINCE YOU'RE NOW PRACTICALLY MY PUPIL. NYEH HEH HEH!"

Your were an old mixture of hot and cold. The exercise had caused you to sweat, and your jacket felt sweltering. However, the chilled wind brushed your exposed skin and brought a frigidness. As Undyne dropped her form on the bench, she shoved at your shoulder jokingly. 

"Not ready to quit yet I hope?"

You scoffed, looking at your friend. "What else do you have in store for me bro?" Puffing out your chest, you added, "I can take a ton more!"

Undyne cackled, "Oh you think you can handle more? Good! You got guts! We'll have you with mad beast muscles in no time."

The phrasing caused you to arch a brow quizzically. What in the world were mad beast muscles? Instinctively you groped at your own arm, tensing it slightly. It was a vain attempt at gauging your own muscles... or the lack of. 

"I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S A GOOD IDEA. SHE LACKS VIABLE MAGIC ATTACKS." You tuned back into the conversation going on.

"It'd be sick! C'mon you agree with me, right ?" Undyne was staring at you expectantly.

You inquired, "Agree with what?"

She flew up her hands exasperated. "An array. It'd be great training!"

The skeleton rubbed at his chin as if in thought. "I SUPPOSE IT'D BE GOOD FOR YOU TO BE PREPARED IF THE NEED WOULD EVER RISE. I SINCERELY HOPE THE NEED WON'T ARISE, HOWEVER!"

"Oh, sure?" You responded uncertainly.

Undyne seemed pleased by this response and continued talking about training regiments. You zoned out once more, focusing on your experiences with encounters. Alphys had brought you into one, explaining it as best as she could. It was basically a way monsters normally fought. Right? That was how Alphys explained it to you. You could still recall how strange it felt when you saw your soul during the encounter with her. The two of you hadn't fought though. You were certain it'd be different with Undyne.

"Hey, how does your magic work?" You spoke up, looking to your friends.

Undyne was still, brows furrowed in confusion. "Do you really not know?"

"Not really."

"Dude! You have to be joking. Right?" She laughed and slapped her palm over her knee. "You have a butt ton of residual magic!"

Shaking your head, you replied, "I don't actually know where it came from."

Sometime during the conversation Papyrus had wandered off. You only just now took notice of the lack of his presence. The pom-poms were gone too. Where had he gone off to exactly? Glancing around briefly, you turned your attention back to the aquatic monster.

"Oh. Huh. That's weird." She shrugged, adding, "It has a protection kind of vibe."

"Protection?" You mimicked the word confused.

Undyne squinted at you, focusing on where your soul was located. She seemed to be concentrating, her eyes gaining a far off look. The moment didn't last long before she was talking once more.

"Yeah. It's a form of healing magic."

Your expression must've mirrored your curiosity as she furthered her explanation.

"Alright, so the deal with most monsters is there's two main forms of magic." Undyne held up two fingers for emphasis and wiggled them separately. "There's combat and healing magic."

"That's actually kind of cool." 

"Yeah! It's super rad!" She grinned, "Healing magic has a ton of forms. Like some monsters can heal directly. While other skills are gradual or cause effects."

No time was wasted on comparing the concept to video games. "So it acts like buffs?"

"Exactly! They're totally like buffs!"

"So actual fighting is physical, right?"

"Obviously! Punching people is totally sick!" Undyne continued, "It basically counts as anything that potentially wrecks your opponent."

"Your spears would count then as a physical skill?"

"Exactly!" She nodded in response.

It was a interesting concept as you pieced together the information acquired. You were sure there was still a lot you didn't know, but at least you were gaining knowledge. The way things worked out for monsters was foreign and sometimes complicated. That didn't deter you at all however. The idea of monster magic was still confusing, but a part of you was stoked. Everything was new, and you were learning as much about your friends as they were you.

Something still nagged at the back of your mind. Who had performed magic around you so strongly to cause it to linger? It was some form of healing magic so they were probably trying to help. You weren’t mad. It was more a matter of you being curious.

"Can you tell who caused the residual magic?"

Undyne tugged her focus away from her phone, and responded, "Yeah. You can tell sometimes. Why?"

You shrugged slightly. "I'm honestly super curious."

The aquatic monster chuckled, patting at your back. "It's not as strong as it was a week ago. No worry though bro! Some of the magic signatures are still there."

After messing about on her phone briefly, Undyne shoved it away inside of her pants' pocket. She was probably texting Alphys. The two were constantly texting back and forth. No matter which of them you hung out with, they always pulled out there phone to reply to texts at least five times minimum. Some times you made it a game to keep track of the exact number.

"Well like I said, it's healing magic," she spoke up. "Protecting based healing magic."

You watched intrigued as her eyes closed, speaking up. "So whoever did it wanted me to be protected?"

"Yeah, sort of like that," she affirmed. "It has a relaxing aura. I'm pretty sure it was used specifically to calm you down."

"To calm me down?" 

She nodded, "There's magic that helps guide emotions."

A part of you was freaked out by that. It sounded kind of manipulative. Could anyone just change your emotions at will? Your friend must've noticed the concern on your face as she patted your shoulder.

"Woah there! Calm that thought process bud." 

You inquired, "How does it work then?"

"It can't be cast successfully without the receiver being accepting of it." Undyne furthered her explanation, "It's usually not even a conscious thing. The receiver has to want to feel that way."

As her words hung in the air, you piped up, "So I had to have wanted to calm down?"

"Pretty much. You were craving peace, so it worked."

"That's a little weird," you admitted, rubbing at your neck briefly. "It's nice to know someone cared though."

Undyne shrugged, "I can't really pick up anything else. It's faded too much."

You deflated at the admission. Before the mood had a chance to sour, Papyrus returned. It wasn't hard to make out his lithe form bounding closer from across the field. His arms were waving about with some sort of bag slung over his shoulder. 

"THE GREAT PAPYRUS HAS FOUND YOUR LOST PHONE ABANDONED IN THE TRUCK. I KNOW IT WAS NOT INTENTIONAL OF YOU TO BE SO FORGETFUL, BUT I HAVE RETRIEVED IT FOR YOU." Your phone was thrust into your face as he added, "I ALSO BROUGHT LUNCH TO REPLENISH YOUR ENERGY!"

"Thanks," you replied with a smile.

Papyrus began yanking out various things from the bag. The skeleton monster had come prepared. He brought paper plates, plastic ware and even cups. He busied himself getting everything set up to his standards. In the meantime you checked your phone. You skimmed through your text messages, a single text caught your attention.

 

**\-- from Grillby 11:50 am --**  
_If it's not too much trouble, I was wondering if you'd be able to assist me with the game. I admit I am a little confused._

**\-- to Grillby 1:03 pm --**  
_Sorry I didn't see this sooner. Sure, it's no trouble at all. What are you confused about?_

 

Hopefully Grillby's issue wasn't too serious. You felt bad making the elemental wait for a reply. It was a surprise he actually looked into the game at all. However, you were in no way complaining. There'd be someone new in your circle of gaming friends. Depending on his class, dungeon raids might become easier. You did have an open slot in the team he could fill. There was also the fact of being able to enjoy his company further. 

After you texted a response, you went to slide your phone back into your jacket pocket. You paused mid-way however, meeting Undyne's gaze that was currently locked onto you. A wide, amused grin was plastered on her features. You suddenly felt exposed, averting your gaze to Papyrus.

"So, when did you and Grillbz share numbers?"

"Yesterday. I ran into him at the movie place," you replied with a shrug.

"Nice!" Undyne shouted a little too loud for your liking. "Yo, I am so proud! You're finally going after a hot one!"

"What?" Your voice faltered unevenly as you added, "No. No, it's... not like that."

You became all too aware of your face growing warm in your fluster. Ducking your head awkwardly, you reached for the plate Papyrus had offered you. It was a sandwich of some kind, cut evenly in half. He had went as far as to cut the crust off. That was adorable.

"I HOPE THE LACK OF CRUST IS NOT A BOTHER! SANS IS A FINICKY EATER AND DOESN'T LIKE CRUST."

At this revelation you snorted. Perhaps you hadn't learned your lesson from previous mishaps with Papyrus' cooking, because you took a bite without hesitation. The sandwich tasted fine though. There was turkey on it for sure and lettuce. Taking another bite, you picked up on mayonnaise too. That was definitely a surprise. There wasn't a single thing wrong with it. 

"I ALMOST FORGOT, I BROUGHT DESSERT TOO!" 

Papyrus pulled out another container, lifting the lid to scoop out the contents. As you finished your sandwich, a glob of... something was dropped on your plate. It sort of looked like it had been a type of pudding at one point. There were bits of chopped up noodles mixed within it and little cherry tomatoes. You weren't putting that anywhere near your mouth.

"Actually I'm full from my sandwich." you patted your stomach for emphasis. "It looks really good though."

"FRET NOT, I'LL GIVE YOU SOME TO TAKE HOME AFTER TRAINING."

"Thanks, I really appreciate that," you replied with a soft smile.

Your phone vibrated within your pocket, signaling a notification. Pulling it out, you read over the newest text.

 

**\-- from Grillby 1:33 pm --**  
_I believe I followed the instructions correctly, but when I load up the game it gives me an error._

**\-- to Grillby 1:34 pm --**  
_What does the error say?_

 

There was a lapse in getting the next text message. He was probably at work. You fumbled with your phone absently, watching as Papyrus began picking up after the small meal. Thankfully Undyne was fixated on prepping for the next step in the training. You weren't sure you could've handled anymore teasing. A responding message did come through after a little while.

 

**\-- from Grillby 1:41 pm --**  
_It said something about missing a certain file, if I recall correctly._

**\-- to Grillby 1:43 pm --**  
_Oh, I'm pretty sure I know what the problem is. It's one of the language files probably. It's a common issue. I can fix it for you if you want?_

**\-- from Grillby 1:46 pm --**  
_Thank you, that'd be extremely appreciated._

 

"C'mon dude! Let's get this encounter going. Time is wasting!"

Papyrus began waving about the pom-poms once more. "YOU CAN DO IT!"

Rising to your feet with a stretch, you walked towards Undyne. She was practically jumping around in the middle of the football field energetically. It was a little daunting to be doing an array with her. The aquatic monster was captain of the Royal Guard after all. You'd never seen her magic truly in action.

You swallowed nervously, standing across from her. The familiar light of your soul was tugged from your chest. It glowed softly in the inky black world around you. Forcing your body to relax, you braced yourself. As Undyne talked you through this, you tried to focus. Your mind wandered a little, figuring out when you'd go help Grillby with his game issue.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really hope the lack or outside proofreading doesn't take away from this chapter. I was trying to find some new Betas, but it didn't work out like planned. So this is all 100% just me writing and proofreading myself. (I'll edit this note when it's properly Beta'ed and proof read)
> 
> To say I'm sort of self conscious is a understatement. It's mainly what took this so long to be uploaded. All of the lovely comments though really made my day and fueled me into getting this up. All of you are precious and I don't want to make you wait. Especially with things progressing in the story. It's a little late, but i hope you all had a lovely Thanksgiving (if you celebrate it). <3
> 
> Here's something fun you can help me decide that will appear in a later chapter. Let me know some of your favorite horror movies in the comments. c:


	14. This Newbie

Despite the advanced warning, nothing could prepare you for the spear coming towards you. The bright blue glowed in the darkness, drawing attention like a beacon. You avoided it, stumbling to the left in a hurry. The crackle of energy danced along your skin as it flew past. You swallowed down a shaky breath. In hopes of relieving the tension, you gave your friend a double thumbs up.

When it came to your own turn, you were conflicted. What were you supposed to do? Something tugged at your soul though. It wasn't intense, but more like a subtle feeling. It was as if something was urging you to continue the encounter. You looked towards your friend who only grinned in response. 

"Come on, we don't have all day! Come at me, bro!"

You bit at your lip uncertainly as you contemplated. You settled on just trying to land some sort of attack, and lunged at her. Bunching up your fist, you swing, your legs propelling you forward. Undyne easily jumped backward. The momentum of your initial surge caused you to trip. 

"That was totally lame! Come on what kind of gamer are you? This should be easy!"

"It would if I had some sort of actual attack," you scoffed.

The array continued primarily with you avoiding magical spears. You had figured out a turn didn't have to be dictated solely by attacks. Doing anything, in general, could count as your turn. The majority of the time it was talking which made it an easy way to avoid having to try to attack your friend. You knew it was way too impossible to actually land a hit on her anyways.

You took notice of things you hadn't when starting an encounter with Alphys. Your soul followed you. It always lingered in front of your chest no matter the change in position. Undyne explained that attacks and skills are focused on souls. A soul is the accumulation of a being; it only made sense for the magic to hone in on it.

Undyne called an end to the array once it became obvious you were tired. Your movements had become messier and less planned. It ended in a similar fashion to the one prior, with simply wishing for the engagement to end on your turn. As the black void reverted back into the familiar world, it was disorientating. You nearly stumbled forward, only to be held up by the strong arm of your aquatic friend.

"WOWIE! THAT WAS ENLIGHTENING TO WATCH! UNDYNE FORGIVE ME FOR QUESTIONING, BUT WERE YOU FEELING ALRIGHT? YOUR SPEARS WERE SIGNIFICANTLY SLOWER THAN USUAL."

"I'm whooped," you commented with a huff, flopping down onto the bench once more.

"Of course I'm fine! I had to go slower for this newbie," Undyne laughed and nudged your shoulder.

"Thank you ever so much for going easy on me," you joked.

"YOU SHOULD DO A ENCOUNTER WITH ME NEXT. I PROMISE I WON'T GO EASY ON YOU THOUGH!"

Shaking your head, you replied, "It was super cool, but I'm tired. Let's just relax."

"ISN'T IT TOO COLD OUT HERE FOR A HUMAN TO RELAX?" Papyrus questioned, "IF I RECALL YOU CAN COME DOWN WITH SOME FORM OF ILLNESS OR EVEN HAVE YOUR LIMBS FREEZE OFF. WHY WOULD YOU WANT THAT?"

"Whoa! You want to stay outside even if it destroys your legs and arms? That's metal as frick!"

"I didn't mean out here." You laughed a little too loudly. "That's called hypothermia which only happens when you're outside in freezing temperatures for long periods."

"PERHAPS WE CAN RELAX SOMEWHERE WARM THEN, FOR YOUR HUMAN BODY'S SAKE."

Papyrus picked up his bag; hoisting it over his shoulder. The three of you headed towards Undyne's truck. Would now be a good time to go try and fix Grillby's error with Clash of Specters? He'd be at work surely, but maybe he had his laptop with him. You also reasoned it'd be nice and warm in the bar. You'd spent too long outside in the cold to the point of it bringing discomfort. 

"Why don't we go to Grillby's?" You inquired, climbing into the backseat of the truck.

Undyne snickered, "You'd really get warmed up there."

Rolling your eyes, you pipped up, "He needs help getting Clash of Specters working."

Your skeleton friend settled into the passenger seat, making sure to buckle his seat belt. Papyrus made a point to announce this and made sure both you and Undyne did the same. Once the game was brought up in conversation, he went on to talk about his latest endeavors. Apparently, he'd been spending a lot of time helping out new players in the starting areas. The user CoolSkeleton95 was gaining recognition as the guardian of newbies. 

The drive was uneventful aside from Papyrus' ramblings of his gaming efforts. As Undyne pulled into the parking lot, you let your thoughts wander. What if he didn't have his laptop with him at work? That'd be awkward. Maybe you'd been a little too eager to visit the bar. You couldn't deny missing the atmosphere. It'd been a while since you actually hung out here. Yes, it was definitely only the atmosphere you missed. As if you could truly lie to yourself.

Upon slipping inside the heat, you'd grown accustomed to, enveloped you. A few of the regulars were enjoying themselves and chatting away. Your inner debate on where to sit was interrupted by the table of dogs greeting Undyne. They yipped and barked boisterously as she stepped in behind you. The aquatic monster hollered cheerfully and bounded over to the table.

Papyrus trailed behind Undyne, greeting the canines with an excited wave. It seemed the task of deciding to sit at a table or the bar was whisked away. You didn't mind though, it'd been quite a while since you properly chatted with any of the dogs. 

"How's Lesser Dog doing?"

"He's doing better now," Dogressa replied.

Pulling over a chair from one of the neighboring tables, you tuned in on the conversation. You listened intently, greeting the dogs with a silent wave as you sat down. You'd never actually met the canine that was the current subject. He had to of been a friend though. He and Greater Dog had similar names after all. It couldn't be a coincidence.

Doggo growled under his breath, "If I ever track those traitors down..."

"We'll get them eventually," Undyne added, clenching her fist. "I'll make sure of it."

"He put up a good fight though." 

Papyrus spoke up, "INDEED! I KNEW HE'D BE A GREAT PICK FOR HELPING GUARD THE ROYAL FAMILY."

"Yes, he really is a good dog.." The words came off melancholy as Dogressa spoke.

You tried to keep up with the conversation and connect bits and pieces. The dog in question had gotten hurt possibly. By whom though? It came to no surprise though; the King, Queen, and Ambassador would need some sort of protection. There was quite a lot of monster bigotry. It had to have been a pretty good guard to watch over such important figures. You didn't pry in the conversation, however, too worried about coming off nosey. 

As your friends got wrapped up in a conversation you knew little of, your attention shifted to the sight of Grillby. There was a lax in his orders. Taking the chance you wandered over and climbed up onto one of the vacant stools at the bar. It didn't take long for him to wander over. He gave a dip of his head in greeting while finishing polishing a glass with a rag.

For whatever reason, you found it difficult to decide on a proper conversation starter. Maybe rushing over here to fix his computer was too sudden. You hadn't agreed on a set day after all. Why would he bring a laptop to work anyways? Was it even a laptop? Maybe Grillby owned a desktop and you'd have to go to his home to fix it? Your cheeks grew warm at the prospect. His even, soft vocals pulled you from your steadily growing anxious mentality. 

"How are you?"

It was simple but appreciated. The relief was instant and you offered him a smile in return.

"I'm ok all things considered," you replied, "You?"

"I've been well."

Grillby's flames gave a soft crackle and seem to waver. He was contemplating something. The elemental seemed to struggle with his own decision briefly. Knowing the feeling all too well, you waited patiently. You propped your feet on the uppermost bar of the stool's base. 

"How are things going with your situation?" Grillby inquired finally.

You couldn't help but feel touched by his obvious worry. Nearly a week prior you'd practically stumbled into his bar. He'd seen you shut down mentally and have an anxiety attack. Of course, he'd be worried. You felt a little bad that he'd more than likely been stewing on it for a length of time. You were surprised he hadn't brought it up upon running into each other at the movie rental store.

You admitted, "I don't know, haven't stayed at my house since the incident."

He appeared accepting of this response, but you decided to open up a bit more to the bar's owner.

"Alphy and Undyne have been really great with helping me out. I've been staying at her place.. but well see how it goes. The insurance company is supposed to have a few people come to check out the damages tomorrow."

"I hope it goes well," his smokey voice came once more.

"Yeah, me too."

Papyrus had seemingly taken notice of your absence. The lanky skeleton came to your side. He had no issues maneuvering himself onto the stool next to you. YOur friend had to hunch down a little to let his elbows rest on the bar top.

"GRILLBY, I'VE HEARD YOU'VE TAKEN INTEREST IN THE SPLENDID GAME CLASH OF SPECTERS?"

The elemental nodded in response; his voice suddenly absent. 

"THAT'S GREAT NEWS! I CAN'T WAIT TO SHOW YOU AROUND THE STARTER VILLAGE AND QUESTS. I'M AN EXPERT AT HELPING NEWER PLAYERS YOU KNOW."

Undyne too was drawn over. She grinned toothily as she stood between you and Papyrus. There weren't any other open stools available at the bar. You shifted and made a move to slide from your perch. She stopped you, however.

"Don't think I don't know what you're doing," she spoke "You keep the seat. Your wimpy human legs still need to recover from the training."

That made your actions cease. It was true. Your legs were rather sore still, though the ace rested primarily in your feet. 

Grillby seemed to question the statement, but your friend interrupted any potential explanation.

"Yeah Grillbz, when are you going to join our team for raids?"

You piped up, "I need to help him fix the game first, remember?"

"Typical, probably the language files."

"Most likely." 

You watched as Grillby moved to tend to one of the patrons. He mixed a drink for them with ease before returning to you and your friends. 

"When did you want me to help you out?" you ask.

Grillby holds up a finger for you to wait a moment. The room feels suddenly lackluster and dark as he slipped into a back room. Upon returning he sat a bronze colored laptop on the counter. 

"WOW! YOU MUST REALLY WANT TO PLAY THE GAME. I'M IMPRESSED BY YOUR EAGERNESS."

"Only if it's not too much trouble," he assured with an apologetic dip of his head.

You smiled and gave a gentle shake of your head. 

"Not at all," you replied.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm alive and well. Oh boy... I'm so sorry for not continuing this for such a long time. I practically vanished without any warning and that's pretty rude to do. I'm not even sure if anyone has interest in this fic anymore, but I finally picked myself back up. I can't really make any excuses for my absence other than life in general. That and LDR's are hard.
> 
> But I'm back and ready to see this story to completion. 
> 
> Since it's been such a long time you may see some changes in my writing. Half of this bit was written a year ago and the rest finished today. Still, have no one to BETA, but I hope that's okay. I really am sorry for vanishing. D:


End file.
